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.
Outdoors
Stepping Into My Own Fear: My friend’s gruesome death changed my life forever
“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...
Search Planning in the Time of Covid-19: Social distancing from 250 miles away
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...
Rescue from Robe Canyon Trail
“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...
An Unplanned Bivouac on Mount Pilchuck. Hypothermia becomes our enemy.
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...