Today we have excellent tech for off grid things, be it solar/fire chargers for phones, GPS SOS beacons, cheap to rent satellite phones, etc, its just being sloppy and dumb. Lets face it, someone like me for instance, go to Moab and the area with just me and my wife. We live in NJ and can't just ask someone to come on a 40 hour drive to hang with us in the mountains. We wheel alone all the time, however, I always make sure I am fully prepped, inform at least 3 parties daily exactly where we are going and where we are supposed to be, who to contact (ranger station, police, etc) if they don't hear from us by X oclock, know how to use the crap I have, and if the shit should really hit the fan, I know the basic rules (ie don't leave your vehicle). Of course I agree that having another party/vehicle with you is ideal, but it's not always practical, so a little preparation can be the difference between life and death. This guy is alive solely because of luck.