[at-l] Volunteer shares mixed emotions in missing hiker case

[Richard Calkins]

I have followed this story with profound sadness, anger and incredulity.  How any human being can do such things to another human being, I will never understand.  I have a hard time chalking it up to "evil exists in the world", just as I did some months ago when the senseless murders occurred at Virginia Tech.  You want to be able to do something to help, to change the situation, but......what?

The mixed emotions of the volunteer noted in the article below are very familiar to me.  I have had the privilege of working with the Shenandoah Mountain Rescue Group (SMRG) for the past several years, and his description of the wilderness search and rescue experience is smack on.  On most search tasks, you find nothing.  Not even a clue.  Which is itself a clue, as he notes:  you've reduced (but not eliminated) the possibility that the subject is in your search area.  Sometimes, rarely, you have the good fortune to actually being on the "find team".  That's exciting, but not something you count on.  It is enough to have participated in a search where the subject is found, knowing that you were an essential part of the overall effort.  Time is of the essence, especially in the colder months, and the faster the Incident Commander can cover the designated areas with search teams, the better the chances of survival for the missing person.

Searches are conducted with essentially two types of personnel:  trained search and rescue professionals; and emergent volunteers -- such as the author of the attached article.  Among the volunteers, there are those who show up in jeans and sneakers, and those who show up ready to actually participate.  Their hearts are all in the right place, but the former can only stay at base or go home.  The latter are exactly what the trained team leaders need to get the search tasks done and done safely.   

The article below rightly makes the case that those of us experienced in hiking the mountains, who have all the necessary gear to stay out overnight almost regardless of the weather, and are in reasonably good physical condition, have many of the skills that are essential for wilderness search and rescue.  My plea, for those who may be interested in volunteering, is that you take the next step:  find a search and rescue group near you, and sign up!  They will train you, and they will put you to work -- subject only to the amount of time you have available.  

Every state has an umbrella search and rescue (SAR) focal point, and numerous SAR groups of various kinds.  There are ground pounders, dog teams, horse teams, civil air patrol, etc.  Some are associated with trail clubs (SMRG is associated with the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, which maintains 250 miles of the AT).  SMRG is also one of ten groups that make up the Appalachian Search and Rescue Conference ( www.asrc.net ) , and does searches in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and the Delmarva Peninsula.  Our motto is "so others may live". 

 Over the past year, I've participated in searches for missing alzheimer's patients (a real growth area!); missing hunters, hikers, missing kids (a three year old found alive on day two, and a 19 year old autistic kid found alive on day five!), etc.  It is exciting work, satisfying work, and it is almost aways in the woods.  What more could you ask for?  And, even if you can't change the outcome, you are at least "doing something to help".  

Hike safe!
Longhaul  
 


Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2008 06:33:15 -0800
From: lbooher at charter.net
To: at-l at backcountry.net
Subject: [at-l] Volunteer shares mixed emotions in missing hiker case






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