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Posted by lacrosse, 11-09-09The morals of this story could be:
1.If you need to attract the attention of
people in a helicopter wave/flap/rotate an emergency
space blanket to be noticed. Waving your
trekking poles is worthless.
2.Tie a leash onto the speedy partner
to stay close together and avoid
unnecessary epics like this one.
Posted by KevinR, 11-10-09 "Interesting how many mishaps could be avoided by the following the basic "rule" - stay together."
Why is this the basic rule...where is this written anywhere?
On a well-marked trail, even if in a group to start, we all still hike at our own inherent pace; hurrying or slowing down seems to make me tire easily. Hike your own hike.
I do agree with the basic rule of: Anytime there is any trail junction encountered, everyone stays at the junction until all are accounted for, but as to all in the party staying in a tight group while hiking along a marked trail...don't think so.
It's written lots of places. Accident reports frequently point out how the situation deteriorated when the group separated. And here's a quote for Mt Shasta's Climbing Advisory - "If you choose to climb: Solo climbing is not recommended! Traveling with an experienced group is a good idea, and remember - do not split up the group!".
"the party staying in a tight group while hiking along a marked trail" - those are your words, not mine. It's quite possible to travel at your own speed with agreed upon re-assembly points. Otherwise, if you don't maintain some level of cohesiveness during the hike, your not hiking as a group. You may have carpooled to the trailhead, but then became solo hikers.
Something similar can happen when a large group of vehicles assembles to navigate to a remote trailhead. The most knowledgeable driver takes the lead, and as the miles go by, the vehicles disperse. Without some plan, rear vehicles can get lost/never show up at the trailhead. The way to avoid this is to tell everyone to watch their rear-view mirror, and if they can't see the vehicle behind them - stop until they can. This method works so long as everyone watches their rearview. Same thing applies in hiking - if people want the safety inherent in a group, and want to hike at their own pace (more or less) then each hiker maintains visual contact with the hiker behind them.
Hike your own hike, but as far as I'm concerned - just because a group arrived at a trailhead together doesn't mean they hiked as a group.
Posted by robk, 11-10-09 The morals of this story could be:
1.If you need to attract the attention of
people in a helicopter wave/flap/rotate an emergency
space blanket to be noticed. Waving your
trekking poles is worthless....
Everyone should note - it is VERY difficult to see someone on the ground from a helicopter. The signal mirror is perhaps the single best way you have of attracting the attention of the pilot or crew/observers. You should practice using your mirror to flash a object some distance away (you can typically see the bright spot). Send a friend off some distance and flash them .
With a bit of practice you can easily flash aircraft (or ground searchers for that matter) that are miles away. I can tell you from experience, a mirror flash will draw a close pass when on a search operation.
Having some piece of bright clothing or material that you can wave or wear is valuable as well. Earth tone or dark colors are very difficult to spot. Getting into an open area where you can stand out from the visual ground clutter is important.
On a side note - do NOT assume a SAR team will not work at night. Lots of factors go into determining the urgency of the response. Do not hesitate to call assuming no one will respond until morning. Please remember as well that it may take some time to get a response underway. An early call allows the process to get underway and get personnel on scene in a timely manner.
You may also be surprised to find "off duty" SAR team personnel on personal trips in the local mountains. You'll find that they will almost always go into "SAR mode" if needed.
Posted by Bob R, 11-10-09robk makes several excellent points.
Specifically, on the subject of mirrors: The lanyard around my neck--the one that has my compass and whistle--also holds my signal mirror. I've used it successfully on several occasions, when nothing else would have worked.
Edit Reason: Typos
Posted by bulldog34, 11-10-09 The lanyard around my neck--the one that has my compass and whistle--also holds my signal mirror. I've used it on several occasions, when nothing else would have worked.
Bob, I've hiked for years and years and never thought of that simple solution to losing those "unlose-able" items in your pack, even after having to ditch a pack a few years ago for a hungry bear. It just never occurred to me. From now on, lanyard with the whistle - and compass and mirror. Now that I think about it, guess that's what the hole in the mirror is for, huh?
'Preciate it!
Posted by wagga, 11-10-09I carry a CD. Big, light, shiny, flexible & it has a hole. Also useful for storing data.
Posted by szalkowski, 11-10-09 I carry a CD. Big, light, shiny, flexible & it has a hole. Also useful for storing data.
Will also function as a marginally acceptable Frisbee.
Posted by bulldog34, 11-10-09 I carry a CD. Big, light, shiny, flexible & it has a hole. Also useful for storing data.
Wagga, I gotta know - do you carry it around your neck? Or in your Walkman . . . ?
Posted by livinwhilealive, 11-10-09Great info, I will always carry an emergency blanket now and a CD , great Idea ! .I think it's a good Idea to put a sign like the one posted earlier at trail crest . I was a first timer that took the John Muir trail too ,until someone asked me if I was trying to reach the summit .
OH and not to clutter the mountain with signs but one at Mirror Lake too couldn't hurt I got lost there too .What a beautiful lake though ,if your going to be lost, not a bad place to do it !!
Posted by wagga, 11-10-09I keep one in the big first-aid kit.
I'm still waiting for the new 25mm discs to run in the iPod.
Discman, not Walkman. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discman
I have a D-5 ( predecessor to the D50 shown ). Made in October '84.
A friend in the industry gave me a product number, & I ordered 3, one for me and two for friends, sight unseen, for $395 each. After they arrived, I was in a record shop (which had fewer titles than I had at home). The sales guy was chattering on about how some time in the future you would be able to purchase a unit that would fit in your pocket.
When he stopped talking, I pulled mine out of the pocket & showed him. Still have it. Still works. And I have the battery unit shown.
Some of my oldest discs have failed, meaning that CDs will not last forever.
Posted by bulldog34, 11-10-09 I'm still waiting for the new 25mm discs to run in the iPod. Discman, not Walkman. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DiscmanSome of my oldest discs have failed, meaning that CDs will not last forever.
Yup, Discman! Had a couple - my wife had the Walkman (or Walkbabe, as she referred to it). I never could keep the names straight.
I'm guessing the iPod 25mm discs won't be that valuable as signal mirrors. I'd stick to the CD . . .
Personally, I've never used a player when I hike in the wilderness - I like hearing the rattler buzz or the bear "whuff!" before they get too close. I damn near burned up an iPod, though, training for Whitney this past summer at a local mountain that's reasonably free of both.
CDs may not last forever, but the digital data will. I have every CD I own - about 800 - loaded on my PC (that took a while), and then backed up to a separate external drive several times a year, along with family photos & video - which I keep in a bank SD box. I use Mozy as well. I'm ready for 2012 . . .
Posted by Bee, 11-10-09Coghlan's has a nifty little device that is a (led)light, whistle, compass, thermometer, magnafier...and signal mirror. It comes with a lanyard attachment and weighs just ounces (some space-age material) First time I met Blooty, we had a good laugh, because we had the same little device hanging on the front of our packs (and the same hat, sunglasses, hair color, height...cue Twilight Zone music)
B
_________________________
..the important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle -- Baron Pierre de Coubertin
Posted by bulldog34, 11-10-09 Coghlan's has a nifty little device that is a (led)light, whistle, compass, thermometer, magnafier...and signal mirror. It comes with a lanyard attachment and weighs just ounces (some space-age material)
Looked it up - very cool device! I need to get out more often - or in, as the case may be.
Posted by livinwhilealive, 11-10-09Really Glad for the outcome of this story ,this message Board and the whole town of Lone Pine seem to have a genuine concern for the people who come to this Mountain !!!
Posted by booger, 11-11-09We tend to emphasize the equipment aspects of preparedness. Perhaps a pre-hike briefing/reminder of situational awareness (SA in aviation terminology) is equally important. In this case a back-of-the-mind reminder that Owens and comfort is east; the backcountry and a different kind of comfort is west - and that sunset and twilight glow (and the landmarks associated with both) are west - might have trigered a "What am I thinking?" reaction.
Been there, done that too many times - but have always had the good fortune to be able to put it in the past tense, as in "What WAS I thinking?".
Posted by Bob R, 11-11-09 Great info, I will always carry an emergency blanket now and a CD
If you think the CD can stand in for a signal mirror, you might want to try it out first. I did, this morning, and I could see it for, oh, I don't know...50 feet?
Admittedly, the mirror is lousy for recording songs.
Posted by livinwhilealive, 11-11-09Well I have to do that , just thought it sounded like a good Idea but thank you for your input . I really do need to put more thought into being prepared ,especially with winter here and I hike mostly solo .
_________________________
" What one man can do ,another man can do " ,
Or Women !
Posted by lacrosse, 11-11-09Real testing! Thanks Bob.
I've also been thinking of doing a test to compare
a signal mirror vs emergency space blanket to
attack attention under various conditions.
I wonder if its asking too much of an inexperienced, tired, cold, etc, hiker, to aim a signal mirror accurately.
Teaching the waving of a space blanket, a more natural
action, may be better recalled in an emergency.
Posted by ClimbSTRONG, 11-11-09 I've also been thinking of doing a test to compare
a signal mirror vs emergency space blanket
When used correctly in sunny conditions a signal mirror is incredible, but I will bet on the emergency blanket on an overcast day. On Sierra Granite I might favor an orange poncho.
Posted by George Durkee, 11-11-09 you should practice using your mirror to flash a object some distance away (you can typically see the bright spot). Send a friend off some distance and flash them .
With a bit of practice you can easily flash aircraft (or ground searchers for that matter) that are miles away. I can tell you from experience, a mirror flash will draw a close pass when on a search operation.
On a side note - do NOT assume a SAR team will not work at night. Lots of factors go into determining the urgency of the response. Do not hesitate to call assuming no one will respond until morning. Please remember as well that it may take some time to get a response underway. An early call allows the process to get underway and get personnel on scene in a timely manner.
Wasn't sure if there was a bit of humor on carrying CDs. If so, get a signal mirror instead... . As noted you can aim them, the distance & resolution is MUCH better, and they're not really any heavier. They really are much better to spot from a helicopter. Depending on the helitac crew and pilot, it's usually really hard to be spotted from a helicopter. Best bet is a mirror or lighting a smoky fire.
As a side note, I carry a small signal mirror (the kind with the small hole to aim) and a smoke flare. Remember that smoke flares are really only good when the helicopter is literally almost on top of you -- no more than 1/8 miles.
The point about alerting Sheriff or NPS at night is important. SARs take quite some time to gear up (3 to 6 hours would be a minimum before crews can get into the field). The person you talk to has to evaluate the problem; talk to other staff; start getting an Incident Command staff together (people who will handle logistics, planning, operations, mapping etc); call the California Office of Emergency Services (OES) to request SAR teams and what kind (technical, dog, general); they then call up teams who often have to drive from great distances (2 to 4 hours of drive time plus another couple of hours to get their packs and gather for transport); when they arrive at the Incident area, they have to be briefed, issued any specialty gear then start towards the search area. If they need to be transported by helicopter, they are hugely limited by weather, the ability of the helicopter to carry weight and, almost always, a lack of helicopters.
If the command staff agrees a major effort is necessary, you're talking 20 to 50 people and a couple of helicopters. That's a huge logistical task.
So it takes awhile... . Needless to say, the family is always wondering why it's "taking so long -- can't you just send someone in?" To do it safely of course, you really have to follow the numbered list.
While I'm here, I'll comment on a post somewhere around here on why hikers are discouraged/prohibited from participating. A couple of good answers were given. The two main reasons are safety -- you just can't have unsupervised, random people wandering around in an active search area. It's too dangerous for the searchers and the hikers. You've got helicopters operating, searchers perhaps on technical terrain who don't want anyone above or below them, and searcher's time taken by answering questions and trying to direct well-meaning but untrained hikers.
As important, people in the search area mess up critical clues: covering up or leaving their own foot prints: they may leave garbage or equipment that will confuse SAR teams as a possible clue, and distractions for both ground and air searchers (a helicopter can't distinguish between a hiker and who they're looking for -- a SAR team will have a radio to ID themselves).
George
Posted by ClimbSTRONG, 11-11-09Great insight into SAR!
Thanks
_________________________
climbSTRONG
"Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing" -Helen Keller
Posted by Bob R, 11-12-09The reason a real signal mirror works so well is the "retro-reflective aiming aid" in the hole (so it's not really a hole). Looking through it, with the mirror held close to your eye, the location of the spot is vividly obvious even if it's too far away to actually see it hit. Move the image of this spot over to your target, and you're "spot on." No guessing as to where the reflected light is going, and--for the people in the helicopter--no guessing where it is coming from.
And before you trust your potential survival to a reflective blanket, suggest you spread it out on the ground and then go some distance away. Look back and see how it shows up. Note: If you lay it perfectly flat, it will show only the reflection of the sky. I'm sure it will help, though, as will anything brightly colored and contrasting.
CDs vs signal mirrors is a no-brainer. (For example, Adventure Medical's mirror is $9, weighs 0.3 oz)
Posted by wagga, 11-12-09Shot down in flames - It's OK, we are all a little wiser now.
Posted by ClamberAbout, 11-12-09Hold out your arm and make a "V" with first two fingers. With the other hand hold signal mirror near your face. Facing into the sun of course.
Aim the "V" arm at the target (helicopter? Person wearing a very bright orange shirt?). Use the "V" as your "sight" and flash the sunlight through it at the target.
I've used this in the Mojave National Preserve and flashed someone who was easily 2 miles away and confirmed via radio that he instantly saw me.
Oh, I was using the mirror in my compass BTW. If you have a compass, you already have a signal mirror.
Posted by bulldog34, 11-12-09While I'm here, I'll comment on a post somewhere around here on why hikers are discouraged/prohibited from participating. A couple of good answers were given. The two main reasons are safety -- you just can't have unsupervised, random people wandering around in an active search area. It's too dangerous for the searchers and the hikers. You've got helicopters operating, searchers perhaps on technical terrain who don't want anyone above or below them, and searcher's time taken by answering questions and trying to direct well-meaning but untrained hikers.
As important, people in the search area mess up critical clues: covering up or leaving their own foot prints: they may leave garbage or equipment that will confuse SAR teams as a possible clue, and distractions for both ground and air searchers (a helicopter can't distinguish between a hiker and who they're looking for -- a SAR team will have a radio to ID themselves).
George
Interesting how philosophies on this differ based on geography. Some of you may recall almost two years ago that Meredith Emerson, an Emory University student here in Atlanta, went missing during a dayhike in the Blue Ridge mountains in northern Georgia. The Blood Mountain area, to be specific - one of my favorite local stomping grounds. SAR parties searched for over a week before her body was found - murdered and mutilated in the wilderness by that SOB Gary Hilton. He also was charged with murdering an elderly couple hiking just across the state line in North Carolina, and probably another female hiker in Florida, all around the same time. Hiking in North Georgia was touch and go for quite a while after that - I rarely ran across solo hikers, and never a woman alone.
The point, though, is that during the days of searching - which was actually in a fairly confined area in the Blood Mountain Wilderness, way smaller than the Whitney Zone - hundreds of local volunteers were used in addition to the state and local SAR teams. Practically anyone willing, especially if on horseback, was encouraged to participate.
The difference in how this was handled, versus say a Wade Brunette in the Whitney Zone, I think has mostly to do with terrain. If you've not been in the southern Blue Ridge mountains, they are thick, boys and girls. Dense forest, shrubbery, undergrowth, kudzu, small mountains and a bunch of 'em, ravines and gulches galore. You could be virtually standing on a dead body five feet off the trail and never realize it - seriously. Remember, this is where that jackass Eric Robert Rudolph hid from literally thousands of FBI, GBI and ATF agents for years after the Olympic and abortion clinic bombings. To effectively search an area like that in a relatively short time, you really need a lot of assets on foot and horseback. Air searches were conducted, but they're pretty useless unless smoke is spotted - it's nothing but a canopy of treetops from up above.
I also believe that the priority was on quickly finding a live, distressed hiker, so trampling potential evidence was a distant second in the scheme of things. When the "R" in SAR turns into "Recovery", well, evidence and clues become a higher priority. As long as it's viewed as a rescue mission, pretty much everything else is secondary to having a set of eyes zero in on that missing person.
I understand that the Sierra poses a different risk for hundreds of searchers tramping around off-trail, so that was really my observation - geography and conditions often dictate how these things are handled.
Posted by robk, 11-12-09Here are some more concepts and info associated with SAR that may add to the general understanding of what goes into an operation.
Most SAR operations resolve themselves very quickly - a few hours at the most and don't ever become the large multi-team operations that the search for Wade became. The local SAR team responds, often within an hour or two depending on incident location and distance the team needs to travel. There isn't all that much incident overhead or bureaucracy that needs to be managed. If an operation exceeds the capacity of the local team to handle the call, i.e., extended searches, large geographic search areas, highly complex rescues, need for specialized resources, etc., then the local sheriff (or responsible agency) can make a request for mutual aid through the state or via predefined agreements.
As was noted in an earlier post, these big multi-team efforts require much more incident management resources to support the field teams. Planning (figuring out what field teams are going to do - where and how can they be used for the greatest good), Operations (managing the teams in the field), Logistics (feeding and supplying the personnel), Command (someone has to be in charge...) are just some of the roles that have to be filled. The size of the command structure can expand or contract based on the needs of the incident.
Spontaneous volunteers (usually members of the general public who volunteer to help) are often a great resource, but have to be carefully managed and incorporated into an operation. This takes lots of planning and management energy. In many cases the effort required to manage these volunteers may exceed the value they can provide. Spontaneous volunteers can often be very valuable in providing eyes and ears that can augment trained resources when doing grid-type searches in appropriate terrain.
Clues - or a lack of clues - are always important when searching for a lost subject. Clues can help narrow a search area or eliminate potential areas. Skilled searchers can use a set of seemingly innocuous clues to zero in on a missing subject like a laser beam. Only after the subject has been located can the nature of the "R" component of SAR be defined. I have seen searches become rescues and I've seen them become recoveries.
Posted by ClamberAbout, 11-13-09Imagine the liability if one of those volunteers fell off a cliff! Not to mention the moral/ethical quandry it would pose to have put an untrained volunteer out in harms way.
Posted by bulldog34, 11-13-09 Imagine the liability if one of those volunteers fell off a cliff! Not to mention the moral/ethical quandry it would pose to have put an untrained volunteer out in harms way.
Clamber, the volunteers were (and are) vetted prior to being assigned search responsibilities. Also, they're generally given non-threatening terrain to scour, and grouped with 1-2 experienced SAR responders. It's not a case of "you go this way, I'll go that way" - it is coordinated and methodical. I'd be shocked if liability releases weren't obtained from each volunteer prior to being allowed to officially join a search segment.
"Harm's way" is also very relative to the patch of ground you're patrolling. For most searchers in Meredith's case, the only real danger was a twisted or broken ankle. Certainly snakebite is always a concern, and this is a constant, ever-present danger in Georgia's wilderness (being home to all 4 venomous families in the US - rattler, cottonmouth, copperhead and coral). It just goes with the territory of stepping into the wilderness here (often, just into your backyard, and I live in some of the most dense suburban sprawl in the US). They do, however, tend to disappear when there's a lot of human activity. Bears also were scarce with such a hubub in the search area. Ravines and gulches are pretty obvious, and not very deep. And the last I looked, Georgia's towering, dangerous cliffs pretty much gave up the ghost some umpteen-million years ago.
Again, it ain't the High Sierra and conditions are totally different. Stand almost anywhere in the Sierra and you can see for miles and miles. Stand almost anywhere in Georgia's mountains and you may see clearly 50 feet if you picked a good spot - sometimes less than 10 in the spring/summer. I kid you not, there are a great many places where Bozo the Clown could be riding a pink elephant and holding a neon sign, and you'd miss it from 50-100 feet. Almost every bear, deer or boar encounter I've had in my years hiking these trails came as a surprise from less than 100 feet away - usually to both of us. The comments earlier in this thread regarding signal mirrors made me chuckle. In this environment, they're more effective as shaving mirrors. Get to the top of a bald, maybe you have a chance of flashing a copter or search plane. Otherwise forget it.
Given those conditions, and the minimal chance of having an air search be successful due to the heavy tree cover, what other options are there to covering the terrain in the time necessary to effect a rescue and not a recovery? Again, you need a lot of eyes to search even a 5 sq mi grid in this type of density, and that is really what I was saying - terrain and conditions dictate SAR operations quite differently from one place to the next.
Your point about the liability and/or ethical quandry in having "untrained" personnel participate in a large scale SAR is taken. Hopefully I've clarified that a little better. Counterpoint: How ethical is it to allow someone in distress or seriously injured to die for lack of a timely, adequate response when the resources are available? I don't know which is more right or wrong - I was just observing that the needle does vary widely along this scale from place to place.
Posted by Ridgeline, 11-14-09 Imagine the liability if one of those volunteers fell off a cliff! Not to mention the moral/ethical quandry it would pose to have put an untrained volunteer out in harms way.
Look at all the volunteer fire personnel around the country. Some with no training, just a sign up. Thats what the good samaritan law is for.
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