[pct-l] SAR, hiker preparedness and safety

[Donna Saufley]

Yes, I took my snow course in April of 2006, and I'm very glad I did.  It gave me first-hand experience in a guided scenario.  It didn't hurt that at the time in Desolation Wilderness (we were above Echo Lakes below Mt. Ralston) there was still 20' of snow on the ground, and the storm that hit us that weekend dumped another two feet of snow on us. The storm was like a freight train roaring through, but we made it work . . . and had a blast.  Talk about a confidence builder!!!  

On the trip we really had a chance to learn what to do, and what to avoid, in a situation like that. I learned how to use my ice axe and crampons, and to deeply appreciate my snow shoes.  We learned about digging snow caves, and reading snow stratifications and identify depth hoar to judge avalanche danger. The map and compass work was a real eye-opener for me . . . as you recall I wasn't that good at it, but I believe I've improved since then.  

Being with you and knowing your level of experience was very helpful.  You have no idea how much comfort it gave me to see you towing that full body litter and know that you would have gotten us out if we were in need. I will confess that we were envious of your five-man, four-season, double-walled tent with dual vestibules where you were playing cards all warm and toasty, while we were in our little Coleman tent with the rain fly on, scraping ice off the walls. But we had fun nonetheless. Bottom line, having had the experience in a relatively safe situation helped me gain the skills and confidence to be out there without the safety net your presence provided.  

Best of all, I learned to love snow camping, which opens up an entire season that was formerly closed off to me for more outdoor adventures!  Storms are cool and winter rocks . . . no bears to worry about or bugs to fight off! 

L-Rod

-----Original Message-----
From: ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com [mailto:ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com] 
Sent: Monday, June 08, 2009 10:45 AM
To: Donna Saufley; 'Ken Murray'; '.'
Subject: Re: [pct-l] SAR, hiker preparedness and safety

Hi, Donna & Ken!

I'll put this out to the List because the subject relates to what we are 
most concerned about here, realistic thru hiker preparedness and safety.

We advocate trail safety through practice and training. Part of preparation 
for these trips must come from getting out on the trail with all the gear, 
food, clothing, and other "systems" of yours in the conditions you 
realistically expect to encounter on your thru hike to see if you and your 
systems "work" for you. If you feel uncomfortable with your experience 
level, trail skill level, or practical knowledge base, we offer free 
on-trail Courses for the thru hiker to be taught or trained in such things 
in a short amount of time.

Donna is a prime example of one who wanted such training and exposure to the 
"worst of conditions" while with an instructor who could help her learn how 
to deal with such and still be safe and have a lot of fun. Donna, when did 
you take our Snow Course? 2006? Did it help prepare you for the realities of 
the worst of trail conditions?

These Courses are free. If you feel, after you've finished your weekend 
training trip that you benefitted from it or learned something of value, you 
can feel free to contribute something to the instructor, but we conduct 
these out of desire to help hikers learn and practice what we believe is 
necessary for safer thru hikes.

More on-trail practice in the worst of conditions could have helped Kat and 
others avoid their 911 calls and eliminate the risk to the searchers looking 
for them.

Mtnned




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Donna Saufley" <dsaufley at sprynet.com>
To: "'Ken Murray'" <kmurray at pol.net>; "'.'" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Monday, June 08, 2009 9:56 AM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] SAR comments on Censored epic


> They speak of the resources wasted.  As the former spouse of a 
> firefighter, we know that every time our "resources" are called out, their 
> lives are sometimes put in danger too. Rescue attempts have cost the lives 
> of those who answer the call. It is unconscionable to put the lives of 
> rescue personnel/volunteers at risk without a genuine need.
>
> For hikers to be out unprepared in the first place is a problem we're 
> seeing a lot of every year. IMHO, it is simply unacceptable that hikers 
> are unable to weather a storm in the wilderness, especially when June snow 
> is NOT an abnormality in the Sierras (nor are daily thunderstorms).  If 
> you're not prepared, you are an accident waiting to happen and should not 
> be out there.
>
> On a personal level, I've been dealing with sheriff's SAR and hysterical 
> parents all season because of these #(*&^% Spot devices. In every case it 
> has been device signal unavailability or malfunction. There's a whole lot 
> of needless worry and resources wasted, and so far (thank goodness) not 
> once has there been a genuine need.  Quite frankly I think this level of 
> connectivity is a bad thing and I wish they would go away, though I know 
> that's unlikely.
>
> L-Rod
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net] 
> On Behalf Of Ken Murray
> Sent: Monday, June 08, 2009 9:16 AM
> To: .
> Subject: [pct-l] SAR comments on Censored epic
>
> On the Whitney Portal Store website, there is a thread about the epic, and 
> there are several comments from George Durkee, the Senior Wilderness 
> Ranger in SEKI (stationed at Charlotte lake this year), Bob Rockwell of 
> China Lake Mountain Search and Rescue, and Doug Thompson, owner of the 
> Whitney Portal Store:
> =====================
> George Durkee
> This SPOT alert was also checked out by NPS Sequoia Kings. A very weird 
> case. The initial locations given by the SPOT people were WAY off -- over 
> on the east side of the Crest north of Independence (I think). I've just 
> got a very loose story but it's close to what the woman tells. The later 
> 911 SPOT transmission was mapped correctly. Inyo SAR was checking out the 
> sage trying to find this person in the rain and dark with, of course, no 
> luck. They called Sequoia Kings wondering if we had any ideas.
>
> Totally unknown if the fault was with SPOT or what the Satellite received. 
> I hope Inyo Sheriff & SPOT are following up on this. Inyo called several 
> times to make sure the location was correct and SPOT insisted it was. The 
> first location alerts all agreed and were all wrong.
>
> The problem with hitting the emergency 911 button is how do various 
> agencies respond when a later "ok" button is hit. The consensus now is to 
> view it as a 911 hangup -- a response is still necessary, though maybe not 
> as quick.
>
> Quote:I hit 911 to let them know that there’s a hiker on the mountain and 
> she’s in trouble. I did NOT hit 911 to get “rescued.”
>
> Hmmmm. What did she think was going to happen? I mean, she calls it a 911 
> button (though after hearing this story, I called it the "Mommy" button). 
> When you hit "911" on a SPOT, someone's going to make a rescue attempt. Of 
> course, I'm glad she's OK, but sure wish she (and most other PCT hikers) 
> were more prepared for storms like this. PCT hikers are good when the 
> weather's good, but this storm wasn't all that unusual. How hard is it to 
> carry a light tent? I also hope others note that one lesson is to stop and 
> set up camp while you're still warm & functional... .
> g.
> ========================
> Bob R
>  Two pieces of info following up on what George Durkee reported.
> This morning I talked to Doug Thompson at the store. He said that after 
> the subject got a ride to Lone Pine from Horseshoe Meadow, she checked 
> into the Hostel. Did not notify Inyo authorities. So SAR was still 
> looking, the helos were still flying. Then a deputy was walking on the 
> sidewalk near the Hostel and encountered a woman talking on her cell 
> phone. He overheard enough to ask, "Are you (the subject)?" Of course, she 
> was. And only then was the SAR called off. To underscore what George said, 
> hitting 911 turns on the rescue system. Hitting OK later doesn't turn if 
> off. The search continues until until a real person tells them it is no 
> longer needed. From what George says, this issue is being worked.
>
> Later, on the trail, I talked to a ranger who was involved in the search. 
> He said the SPOT relayed the location as somewhere in the Hogback Creek 
> drainage. That's the next canyon north of Whitney Portal. He said they 
> were driving the roads, flashing lights, and had helicopter 
> overflights--all in an area miles north of where the subject was. 
> Eventually SPOT got it right, with no harm done (except for the needless 
> expenditure of resources, looking in the wrong places). I wonder how many 
> other instances of false locations have occurred. This one could have been 
> critical.
>
> Technology is wonderful when it works as it is supposed to. But technology 
> sometimes fails, and operators sometime misuse.
> ==================
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-l mailing list
> Pct-l at backcountry.net
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-l mailing list
> Pct-l at backcountry.net
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>