Iran Charges 3 American Hikers With Espionage
I'm sure Kurdistan is beautiful in late July, but somehow I don't think it was worth it. Way worse than being caught without a bear canister, and I sure hope it puts them off their plan to thru-hike the Korean Military Demarcation Line.

In hindsight, I'm pretty sure they wish they had gone somewhere else. Or had a SPOT messenger.

I wonder if securing one's release from a hostile foreign power is covered under SPOT's optional insurance plan...

So three fellow Americans strayed into Iran from Iraqi territory. How many American "tourists" are there in Iraq anyway -- versus thousands and thousands of soldiers, CIA agents and sundry contractors?

Considering the hundreds of thousands of soldiers we've got on both sides of Iran -- who can blame them for being vigilant? If Russians massed their troops in both Canada and Mexico -- you can bet our federal agents would also be highly wary of Russian "tourists" straying in...

Edited by ben2world on 11/09/2009 23:13:28 MST.

"I wonder if securing one's release from a hostile foreign power is covered under SPOT's optional insurance plan..."

The SPOT, with its tracking/messaging capabilities would likely be considered an instrument to facilitate espionage, at which point the hapless "tourist" would likely be subjected to a "Full Monty" interrogation by the Ayatollahs' version of SAVAK. They could also likely look forward to an extended stay at Evin prison in less than the 5 star conditions enjoyed by the current contingent of clueless fools, as guests of the Iranian government. There are much better venues for hiking in that part of the world, e.g. eastern Turkey, Georgia, perhaps even Iran farther east(I'm thinking Mt Damavand, an ~17,000' dormant volcano that resembles Mt Shasta on steroids). ANY place but Iran's border with Iraq.