I'm a member of one of the SAR teams based out of Santa Fe that was called up for both the initial search and the search for the helicopter after it went down. I'm currently out of the state, and did not get a chance to take part in the search, but I've been getting update and chatter constantly for the past few days.

Most of us are still in shock. This is one of those worst-case scenarios that we train for and hope never, ever happens. We know we face very real danger with every call out, these officers knew the same thing. It's impossible to overstate the bravery and selflessness of these two men, who went out in a helicopter into the teeth of a blinding storm, over some of the most rugged and inhospitable terrain the state has to offer, in order to try to save the lives of strangers.

I'm still getting accounts from team mates. The thing that keeps coming up is the speed with which this went from a standard (if there is such a thing) search for a pair of missing hikers to an absolute, all out crisis scenario with the lost of the copter, and then the wrenching pain when that turned into a recovery mission. It's a stern reminder of how quickly these situations can go wrong.