Hiking Insurance?

So is there such a thing as hiking insurance? The eldest and #3 are going on a hiking trip with their church. We don't know where but probably somewhere in the North Carolina mountains. They have no cell phones on the trip. The only thing they do have is one of the "Spot" buttons that they can push that says, SEND HELP NOW!  Help usually means about $7000 to get them off of whatever mountain that they are on.

Has anyone ever done an insurance policy on this kind of thing? I know I'm probably being the overthinking mom...  but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Growing up in Colorado I seem to remember that if you bought a fishing liscence it came with some extraction insurance in case you get really stuck/hurt and need helicopter or something.

We all used to buy them for $3 or whatever even if we weren't fishing.

Maybe call the dnr to see if NC offers something similar?

This is not purchasing insurance, but a read that may help negate the need http://www.northshorerescue.com the article 6 tips to avoid being our next customer.

Travel insurance may apply, I got a policy for my trip to the Challenge last year for something like $50 that included health care coverage for accidents in racing and some properly dangerous sports (I remember wingsuit flying was one of them!). A great price for safety from US health care costs. I can dig up where I got that if you want.

If you're thinking less literally insurance but more along the lines of calling for rescue, some of those SPOT trackers have a button for texting a non-emergency contact with your location so that you can call family for help instead of immediately incurring the cost of a rescue helicopter.

Years ago I was on an airport shuttle with some people that worked for an agency that did life flight insurance. It's pretty popular in rural south GA apparently since a lot of car accidents require life flight due to the distance to medical facilities. I don't remember the the company name, but they are out there.

I've heard there are a lot of areas out west where you have to get a permit to go out in (gov't) wilderness areas, but they are cheap or free. If you don't get the permit they charge you if you need rescue, but if you get one you aren't. Mainly they want to have info about who's out and where they are going just in case there's a problem, and that is the motivator to keep them informed. But I've never heard anything about it on the east coast.

I wonder if there is some common arrangement that thru hikers on the AT use?

Never gotten insurance for any of our backcountry trips....

But we did get an InReach, can text, get weather, and call SOS if needed. Worth the $$ for me. (its not that much, ~$200 for the device depending on which one you get, then 15-45$ a month)

https://www.findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=104

GEOS provides S.O.S. monitoring included in your basic service. You can upgrade to the GEOS Member Benefit for reimbursement of up to $100K in Search and Rescue (SAR) expenses - even coordinating a private SAR contractor if needed to get you to safety.

Sounds like you can get the nicer spot tracker and get the membership to cover it without too much expense and hassle. 

A device like spot is a good idea... although some of them can be temperamental, and need to be reset each day, iirc

make sure they know how to check for ticks, and do so each day.  Lyme disease is no joke, and increasing in frequency in the south east.

also, make sure they have a map and compass and know how to use both... because can't always rely on electronics

Is there an amateur radio enthusiast in the group?  There are two hundred twenty-four 2-meter repeaters in NC, covering literally the entire state.  Even out of cell coverage, a ham could get word out if the need should arise.

For me, it has a lot to do with trusting the adult leaders.  Very difficult at first, but now that I've gotten to know them and their abilities and character, I have no reservations about letting them watch out for my kid.  My oldest has spent an entire week hundreds of miles from home doing hard labor, and he's enjoyed nearly every minute of it.

I came in here expecting a thread about handguns for hiking. Ill let myself out as i know nothing about hiking insurance otherwise.....

ThatsNoUsername said:

I came in here expecting a thread about handguns for hiking. Ill let myself out as i know nothing about hiking insurance otherwise.....

On that topic, James from TFB TV did testing between .44 magnum and 10mm for bear defense. With the proper loading, a 10mm is more than adequate and easier to handle than .44 mag. 

In reply to Brian :

I agree, i like 10mm quite a lot, although at the moment the only one i own is an AR. Realistically the 10mm lands somewhere between the 357 and 41 magnum, both of which are very adequate for black bear. Buffalo Bore has a 357 load thats 180gr and hits nearly 1500fps out of my gp100. Thats more muzzle energy than a lot of 44 mag

But really......im much more a fan of the 45colt. Heavier rounds and more power when fired out of something that can handle it

Bring a banjo? Someone will find ya. 

re: hiking with guns

Last time I was in the boundary waters however (summer 2017), we brought our canoes back in on the last day and turned on the news for the first time in a week. A fellow boundary waters camper had rolled over on their gun in the middle of the night and shot themselves in the leg and had to be extracted.

If you're going to carry a gun don't be an idiot, please!

My dad used a SPOT for his attempted AT thru-hike(s) and it worked great - he configured it to send out updates as to his location so we could follow along with him. 

I'm a Scoutmaster in Asheville and would be happy to address any concerns with hiking/backpacking in WNC.

I have a life flight insurance that covers us for just about any kind of life flight that happens in our area. However the eldest isn't on  this policy since he's moved out. It looks like there are a few places in N Carolina that would accept it but the coverage appears spotty. The big issue is none of us know where they are going. That's the entire point of this hike. The hikers and hikers family has to give up control and let things happen. Anyone that knows me....  knows that's the kind of thing I hate. I want to know who, what, when, where and why. 

IN OTHER WORDS I'M HAVING A MOM FREAK OUT.  There, I said it. 

I'd buy the spot insurance if it was our spot.... but since it's not, I doubt that works. I could put the life flight on the eldest and it would cover his family as well. At $85 a year, it wasn't a bad deal in my opinion since medical insurance really doesn't help much in paying for those things. 

I think this is why they invented wine.

I'm pretty sure all you have to do is worry yourself to death over it all, and everything will be fine.  That seems to be the Mom way of doing things, anyway. Kids seldom hurt themselves in the way you expect, its generally something that elicits the thought, "How could you have done that?  Are you some sort of idiot?"

1988RedT2 said:

I think this is why they invented wine.

QFT.

If this is part of the point, just get through it the best you can. They'll be fine.

Toymanswife said:

I have a life flight insurance that covers us for just about any kind of life flight that happens in our area. However the eldest isn't on  this policy since he's moved out. It looks like there are a few places in N Carolina that would accept it but the coverage appears spotty. The big issue is none of us know where they are going. That's the entire point of this hike. The hikers and hikers family has to give up control and let things happen. Anyone that knows me....  knows that's the kind of thing I hate. I want to know who, what, when, where and why. 

IN OTHER WORDS I'M HAVING A MOM FREAK OUT.  There, I said it. 

I'd buy the spot insurance if it was our spot.... but since it's not, I doubt that works. I could put the life flight on the eldest and it would cover his family as well. At $85 a year, it wasn't a bad deal in my opinion since medical insurance really doesn't help much in paying for those things. 

I'm not sure I know the right way to ask/say this... but, someone outside the group knows where the group is going right?  They're filing a trip or backwoods permit with some state or federal park entity, right?  I can see the "church" aspect of what's being described, trust in yadda yadda... but paperwork like that is basic due diligence; and is frequently required to stay overnight in our parks.

In reply to sleepyhead :

I don't see the "trust" aspect at all.  Trust in who?  Church youth leadership?

No thanks..  If the church is gonna tell me they want to take my minor children to an undisclosed place, I'll be finding another church.  That's a big overreach in church authority. (yes, I am a very serious Christian churchgoer)

I'm sorry, Toymanswife.  I know that is not the answer you want.

In reply to Toymanswife :

Confirm backwoods permits have been filed with appropriate authorities, then let go.

SVreX said:

In reply to sleepyhead :

I don't see the "trust" aspect at all.  Trust in who?  Church youth leadership?

No thanks..  If the church is gonna tell me they want to take my minor children to an undisclosed place, I'll be finding another church.  That's a big overreach in church authority. (yes, I am a very serious Christian churchgoer)

I understand it like a 2 Proverbs thing.  I will emphasize that my understanding of it, should not be confused nor misconstrued as endorsement of it.  I am not a serious Christian churchgoer... hence my more limited, er critique.

SVreX said:

In reply to Toymanswife :

Confirm backwoods permits have been filed with appropriate authorities, then let go.

I think we're basically on the same page with this SVreX 

Deep breath, guys.  These are my adult sons.  The eldest is married and 31. He's done this before with them. #3 child is 19 and it's his first time with them.  This is a very large church and they are doing this with permits and yes, there are people within the upper groups that know what's happening.

It looks like there is such a thing as insurance for rescue extraction.  Some quick Googling found this. Although my guess is this company's services are geared more towards folks who travel a lot into really remote places with questionable medical services rather than the occasional hiking trip into the Eastern US mountains. 

One of the local EMS companies near me offers a yearly subscription that is essentially ambulance insurance. If you need an ambulance, you call them and you're covered.  However, I don't know if such subscriptions are reciprocal if you are not in their area (I'm guessing not).

From past experience, I know ambulance rides aren't cheap.  I'm still waiting for the bill for the ride I took last month when I had to go to the local ER for a kidney stone.  If it's under $1000 I'll be surprised.