Submitted by frightened_octopus t3_1064sc4 in Washington
ChampagneStain t1_j3f3jit wrote
I have AT&T and service is basically non-existent unless in Forks. I camp solo out that way frequently and personally find it refreshing to disconnect. It’s part of the experience. My phone is only used as a camera and if I need to check in I just go to Forks. I also fish solo on the rivers and have a Garmin satellite device for emergencies. It’s tiny and lets me send/receive simple text messages if needed (at five cents apiece on top of a monthly subscription plan) and has an SOS button if I ever need serious immediate help. If you’re worried about safety, I’d recommend something like that. Otherwise, try disconnecting! Even if service was an option, please don’t make audio calls while hiking trails. You’d be intruding on the solitude others went out there to find.
frightened_octopus OP t1_j3gm6rq wrote
I do really like that point on intruding on the solitude others went out there to find. Something I didn't mention was I would be going there in a January and at latest a February specifically because it's least busy around that time of year. I know it will be cold, muddy, rainy, and some roads will probably be closed due to weather hazards. Don't care, I LOVE the rain, the mist, the clouds, and the fog, and love the isolation/emptiness of places. When I drove through Olympic National Park three years ago in February, stopping in Forks and going to Ruby and Rialto Beach all in one day, although the cold, soggy ground, and road closures weren't nice, I still loved it so much I'd go back there around the same time. And I didn't even get to see Hoh because road closures and was just walking on the basically empty beaches in my vans. And I didn't plan on hiking the whole time while talking on the phone or just looking at my phone screen. I was interested in where coverage spots might be so I could hike and see everything first, then explore around those coverage spots, and if I happen to find a spot that I particularly think is beautiful, I planned to rest there in a beautiful spot to make a phone call or two surrounded by nature and an environment I truly loved, all while nobody or basically nobody is around for miles. I loved that part when I also went to Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in northern California later in this same trip and hiked, found the most gorgeous places on the planet and encountered at absolute most four, if not more like two or three other people over a near seven mile hiking trail. Zero phone coverage as well, just this time when I go back I was thinking I'd truly like the option to be able to call should I want, otherwise the environment of these places always outshines anything you could see on your phone.
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