Search at Craters of the Moon Nat'lMonument

This is a very sad situation:

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/10/01/2792308/search-for-missing-woman-at-craters.html

Chances are slim that the victim is still alive, but you never know. There should be a vigorous search effort, even if the odds are long.

I understand that park employees can now search as volunteers.

Very sorry that life-saving work got interrupted. I do pray that the missing hiker will be found well and alive.

That's terrible! No political tomfoolery should ever disrupt a SAR operation! I hope that she'll be found alive, but it doesn't look good at this point.

Hikermor - thanks for posting! sad situation, and difficult terrain for a search.

Just a note folks. If there is a need for experienced searchers - please post these articles quickly. There is a chance that some people on this forum could respond - particularly if they know that there is a shortage of volunteers.

These remarks are not directed at Hikermor in any way. It's just a comment for everyone to think about.

cheers,
Pete2

I don't think the few gov workers who were furloughed made much difference in the search effort. they probably are not going to have all that much to do with the actual searching anyway.

there has been a very concerted effort by the administration to make the so called shutdown as painful as possible. it has not been especially effective as most of what has been "shutdown" just does not effect all that many people real directly. even those who are furloughed are going to be paid for the time they are not working.

I think this story is mostly spin.

Well, that depends. With how many searches in NPS areas have you been involved? Offhand, I can recall five operations with which I have had personal experience (one for more than two months total) and I can tell you that in all these cases the presence and abilities of the staff helped considerably.

One thing about search operations, especially those that persist for more than a couple of days, is that they can become quite complex. Good detailed knowledge of the terrain and features of the search area is obviously critical. I know nothing of the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the individuals who work there, but I would be very surprised if there isn't at least one or two people who know the area very well, and are able to provide real help, either out ground pounding or advising in base camp (and that is not at all trivial).

And let's consider the terrain- it is to a good extent what is known as a'a lava - jagged bits of volcanic rock pushed and piled into chaotic jumbles. You don't hike through this country. It is more like continuous, low level rock climbing (AKA bouldering). You often have lava caves and tubes of varying extent which surely have a high priority in the search. I note that they have a couple of cavers participating in the effort and that is a very good idea. In this type of terrain, intimate knowledge is even more important than in more "normal" country.

At some point in this operation, it is likely that they would need to call in some fancy technology - heat sensors and the like which would detect the presence. Requests from a federal agency, sometimes from high up, can facilitate the appearance of "non-normal" items, like drones, for example. I would think they would be ideal for a situation like this.

And finally, there is good, old fashioned, mundane logistics. You want to have people out in the field searching. Once the search goes beyond day, you have got to get busy feeding, sleeping, supporting, resupplying, and relieving the folks in the field. Those on the staff who are not adept searchers can play a very important role in these areas.

It always intrigued me that in anything beyond the very simplest search operation, folks with very modest physical skills cold come in quite handy. One example that comes readily to mind - situating someone as an observer in a good spot, giving them some good binos or a spotting scope and a radio.

In the operations in my experience, the presence and participation of the NPS has aided the operation considerably, and they, of course, are not unique in this. I have seen a lot of ranchers provide similar and equally welcome aid. It is just simple humanity.

if anyone hears of a Search and Rescue underway in the southwest (CA, AZ, NV) please do post it and draw it to my attention. I might be able to assist. I cant make promises, but I will look at it.

I am a tracker. I'm rusty these days, for sure. I used to be pretty reasonable - it comes back with some "time in the dirt". I have tracked missing kids before.

That terrain at Craters of the Moon is tough, though. Difficult to track people on that.

Anyway thanks for posting Hikermor.
And I hope that the missing woman is found - but fear that at this late stage it's not a good ending.
Good job!

Pete2

The Anti-Deficiency Act definitely allows SAR activities as a "public safety" issue.

The cause of this is likely the response by agency management to that Act. That Act assigns criminal liability to anyone who spends government money without a congressional appropriation, with various public health & safety exceptions. And since no political appointee will ever risk jail time to ensure the public health & safety you get a lot of these bizarre results.

as time goes by I expect a lot more "disconnects".
particularly from Gov't services.
I'm not picking on our Government servants in any way.
I just think there will be constant headaches as the US Governmnent scales down its spending, and all sorts of illogical outcomes will happen.

The "system" is just not set up to be able to shrink itself in a methodical way.

Pete2

Wellll, maybe and maybe not. Sometime in the early 1980's the officials at Organ Pipe were faced with a situation in which several border crossers were dying of thirst and exposure - time was of the essence. They sent wheeled vehicles to their aid, trampling all sorts of wilderness regulations in the dust - to virtual universal acclaim, including mine and I am a staunch supporter of wild areas and conservative, minimal development in parks. No action was taken against them.

Strictly speaking, the decision makers in this case were career employees, not political appointees. I doubt they had time to seek guidance from the PAs in Washington.

I think the real problem is that whoever is operating in the field is doing so under very unusual circumstances, and inefficiencies and slow responses, vital to a good SAR operation, are likely to be more common. In any event, this is not a good time to have a problem in a park.

Who has jurisdiction in this search? Most places in the west place SAR coordination with the county sheriff, however is not this the responsibility placed on the park service in National Park lands?

Totally off topic, but would you mind starting a post on tracking basics, maybe some good sources to learn more? I mean, it's easy in the snow to see "something," but a lot tougher in the kind of dirt we have in CA.


Thanks in advance if you do this

I second the motion. That would be a great thread. Back when I was doing SAR, we got some informative sessions from the local Border Patrol agents, and that was super helpful. One source they recommended was Tracking: A Blueprint for Learning how by Jack kearney. I'll bet Pete will have other references.

I know that incentive is a major factor. My most prolonged tracking operation was finding a subject described as "female, 5'6", 115 lbs, blonde over blue." We followed her prints all night, reaching her about 4:40 AM. Amazed, she asked, "you walked all night just to find me?"

"Aw, shucks, ma'm, weren't nothin'"

I suppose I was well practiced. I have been looking for similar subjects for many years....

Sometimes SAR is basically just a lot of fun (but not always!)

Yes, female, 5'6", 115 lbs, blonde hair, blue eyes... I think I've been looking for her, too. I guess they're hard to find because they're all lost in the wild.

Alright, enough kidding around. How do you learn tracking? Do you have to study under a genuine Indian, or can you learn from books? Are there good schools? While we're on that topic, what do people think of Tom Brown? I can't figure out what his school teaches by the titles of the courses.

Tracking is somewhere in my list of things to learn eventually, but it has a low priority, since it seems like an advanced skill. I'm still trying to find a bushcraft school...

I am definitely a rudimentary tracker, and, furthermore, my skills have lapsed and I am rusty as all get out. But I started tracking on occasions when I was beginning to hike in fairly wild country just to recover my own tracks and find my way home, One thing led to another. Instruction by a competent tracker is surely the best way to learn, but you can certainly get started by simply getting out and watching and learning from experience.

One thing I found out. High noon is a bad time to track. The high angle, bright light washes everything out. It is actually easier to track at night with a good, medium power light source which can be held at varying angles, usually low,to make tracks and sign more evident.

Kearney's book on tracking is good. The early Tom Brown books were good as well. There are many books out there, and most have the same basic skills.

You have to ask yourself first: "What will I use tracking for?"

Many of the books and schools are geared toward either military tactical tracking or fugitive recovery. The basic skills are the same, it more about how you organize and operate.

The key to learning initially is to learn to be more observant in whatever environment you are in. When tracking, you are looking for sign that is out of the ordinary, different, that doesn't fit. You also need to observe more about how people walk, types of shoes, and other human behavior.

Learning observation techniques is also important, for when you are searching for sign. You must observe in an organized manner, and observe comprehensively. An old friend of mine runs a very good school: ASF Combat Tracking

It is geared to military and law enforcement though. There are others.

Yes, I have had quite a bit of training in tracking; several SERE schools, sniper school, strategic reconnaissance school, and others. Most of my training was focused on evading a tracking team or dogs though.

you can start learning tracking - by tracking yourself.
choose an area with mostly dirt, so it will be easier to start with. walk randomly around a large circle, weaving through brushes. do not make it too difficult!

as you walk, lay down a few small items on the ground. e.g. put a penny right beside one of your footprints (or partial footprints). when you start going over the trail again - try to recover all the pennies.

the goal of tracking when you start - it to literally find EVERY footprint and every partial footprint that you made. it will help you to have a tracking stick. see the following book to get started ...

"Mantracking - Introduction to the Step-by-Step Method" by Roland Robbins

The military has always had some excellent trackers. The US Border Patrol also used to have some guys who were outstanding trackers. You can enroll in classes from some of these guys. Like any other skill - it requires a lot of practice ("dirt time"). I'm prety rusty and need to get back out and spend some time in the deserts of CA or AZ. It will come back, if I put in the time.

And if you want to avoid a lot of frustration - start learning on dirt or sand. In spite of what you see in the movies, the number of people who can really track on difficult terrain (including hard rock surfaces and mixed vegetation) is not many. That is a very advanced level of the skill.

Pete2

My favorite tracking story --

In the old West, a guy comes upon an Indian prone with his ears on the ground, saying softly, "Two horses, a wagon, two men with rifles, a woman, three children..."

"Wow," said the guy, "you can tell all that just from the wheel tracks? That's amazing!"

"No, that's what ran over me."