Many thanks to Bruce (N7RR) who writes:

Hi Thomas –

Since I’m a licensed radio amateur, I always carry ham gear into the backcountry. However, I also carry my Garmin Mini 2 satellite communicator, since that is usually the most reliable way to get an emergency message transmitted. It will also send a one-way message to any email address.

Right now the Garmin Mini 2 is on sale at REI for $100 off.

Only if I’m in a thick forest will Mini 2 messages be delayed significantly.

In thick forests, HF messages transmit reliably. There are lots of 80 m nets available. They are most active in the early evening. Near vertical incidence skywave (NVIS) works well with horizontal antennas which are fairly close to the ground for frequencies below 10.1 MHz.

73,
Bruce Prior N7RR

Thanks for the tip, Bruce. I have the 1st generation InReach Mini and I never leave home for a hike without it. I feel like the subscription is basically hiking insurance! I even pay for the higher payout in case an emergency evacuation via the SOS is needed. I’ve only needed to use it for spotting on a couple of occasions, fortunately.