Bingo! This is exactly what I meant about putting technology into the hands of idiots.

Technology itself is good; it gives you an additional risk-management tool for those occasions where you've done everything a prudent person could do to prepare for the specific trip, and something goes unexpectedly wrong (freak Easter blizzard in the Eastern US back in the 90s springs to mind, as would a forest fire that got started after your trip began.) In those cases, where you cannot muddle through or get out on your own, you could eventually trigger the technology - and pay the rescue cost, if appropriate. In your case, it had to be reassuring to know that, if the storm did turn out to be longer or more severe than you thought, you had the phone as a last resort. But, you were also responsible enough to know that the first snowflake was not a reason to call for help.

It's the idiots who look at technology as a substitute for planning and experience that cause the problems. Unfortunately, we get some of those people asking us to do their legwork for them. (I remember one standout question: "I'm going to hike the AT starting next month. How much water do I need to carry?" The overwhelming response was along the lines of, "you need to know how to figure that out if you're going to do the AT.") Luckily, some of those folks stick around, and learn how to do the planning and preparation.

The rest, who think that planning is too much like work, and takes all the thrill out of the trip (!) probably run down to REI or EMS, plunk down the money for a SPOT or PLB, and head out the next day - then become a headline: "Hiker uses PLB when canteen is empty."