I am sitting at my desk in my home office looking out over a foggy Puget Sound. A cold pack is wrapped around my foot, a hot pack strapped on to my shoulder, my face mask is hanging on it’s hook ready to cover my nose and mouth if I have to venture out from the safety...
In Search and rescue, decision points are places where a hiker might miss a turn or take a wrong one. Panhandle Gap trail section has many such decision points.
“Burned into my memory are the images of him, on that slick rock, grasping for something, anything, to hold on to, as he slid slowly but inevitably toward the edge. Worst of all is the memory of him looking back at me, desperate and helpless, as he soundlessly...
March 2020: The height of the Coronavirus Pandemic. In a small town in eastern Washington an “at risk” youth has been missing for two days. Search efforts have been fruitless and the weather is deteriorating. Local SAR authorities call the State Emergency Management...
“There have been signs in the heavens to warn us from this place”Larry Niven, Neutron Star It’s just after 5PM on a warm Labor Day along the south fork of the Stillaguamish River. On this late afternoon, a father and son are picking their way along the abandoned...
We’ve done this before; we’ve been here before. The SAR call out was for a hiker with an injured leg near the 5,340 summit of Mount Pilchuck in the western Washington Cascades. Mountain Rescue and SAR volunteers hop in their cars and make the 2-hour drive up to the...
Awe-inspiring country! Frosty glass. Splintering ice. Crystals glistening. Seat warmer enveloping me in it's caress. 26 degrees. Water lapping, roaring, beckoning and persisting. History. Ancient geologic events. Gliding forward in the safety of my rig with glacial...
Bosse joined my family shortly after 9-11. His whole life was dedicated to search and rescue. He would work relentlessly for his 'hottie doggie' rewards. He was always hungry and has eaten anything from cans of sardines to whole cakes, roasts, and ear phones. One...
VA FAAN! WHAT IS HAPPENING OVER THERE? The phone in my Edmonds, Washington home rings the morning of September 11, 2001. To my surprise it's my older brother Goran calling all the way from Stockholm. I begin the exchange pleasantries as I look out of over Puget Sound...
As I looked out over the debris field I had a sense of how heart wrenching the whole experience was, yet I found the scene one of inspiration and hope. There were literally hundreds of people working in unison with one purpose in mind, to save lives and bring closure...