We set out on a 12-day motorcycle trip from New York City through New England, heading to Gaspé, Canada as our northernmost stop. By day 10, we were having an incredible time. The weather was perfect, clear blue skies without a cloud in sight. Earlier that day, we even doubled back on a road we loved. After lunch near Ticonderoga, we got back on our bikes and continued on, with Saratoga as our next destination.

Less than 20 miles later, everything changed.

A minivan turned into our lane. I remember yelling Steve’s name, but there was no time or space to react. He went straight into the passenger side of the vehicle. It all happened in seconds.

My friend Maarten was behind me. He still talks about how quickly I pulled over and activated my ACR PLB. I had always hoped I would never need it, but from the moment I bought it, I had thought through exactly what I would do if that day ever came.

About 250 miles away, my wife was in a meeting when she received a call from the US Air Force. They had received a distress signal and asked if she wanted a helicopter dispatched. She said yes, and then began waiting for news.

There was no cell service at the crash site. No way to make a call. Without the PLB, critical time would have been lost.

Though I lost my friend that day, it reinforced for me how important it is to carry a reliable distress beacon. I thank the men and women of this company for working so hard to create a device that does its job so well.