I received the text message at 9:56 PM: “Hello LAAFB, we have a search. An 80 year old hunter has not returned home. They are looking for ground pounders. This is about halfway between Abuquiu and Tierra Amarillo. Please reply Y/N if you are available.”
We gathered at 10:30 to collect radios and maps, and headed out in two vehicles (an Astrovan and an Xterra) with five team members to a set of coordinates that would be our turn off of the highway. The drive took about 1.5 hours. We found IB (incident base) a few miles up a good forest road. Temperatures were probably in the low 50’s and it was a no-moon (dark) night.
We geared up while the IC (incident commander) decided how to utilize us. Our initial mission was to drive up a forest road to a nondescript point from whence we would start walking through the woods to a landmark and start our search. As we were receiving our orders, a team already in the field radioed hearing two gunshots (subject indicating his location??). As they investigated the gunshots, we started driving towards our “put in.” Communications were extremely finicky—both radio and cell were intermittent at best—just barely good enough, despite frequent drop-outs. During the 15 minute drive up the increasingly rough forest road we received a cell call with modified instructions. By standing on top of the Xterra we were able to speak with the IC. The subject had been found, but would likely require litter extraction.
Our new mission was to liase with a fire department vehicle down a different forest road to retrieve a litter, and then get that litter to the subject via the most efficient route. Twenty minutes later down a few other forest roads we met up with the fire truck and loaded the litter into the Xterra. Along the way we needed to park the Astrovan and all pile into the Xterra, as the roads at that point were exceeding the Astovan’s capabilities. Via radio traffic we overheard that a helicopter was on its way to check out the landing possibilities near the subject. As usual, however, there were no guarantees that the helicopter would be able to land, and so our instructions were to drive as close as possible to the subjects location, then hike the litter in from there.
We proceeded down an increasingly more challenging 4WD road towards the subject. En route (it was slow going) we monitored the radio frequency for the incoming helo, and it landed while we were driving. It remained unclear whether the subject was close enough to the helo, or whether a short litter transport would still be required. We drove until the road ended, and then we continued driving through the woods and meadows. We expected that eventually we would need to get out of the vehicle and walk, but as it turns out we were able to drive all the way to the meadow with the helo.
Upon arrival we discovered that the situation was well-in-hand. The helo was powered down, with the subject loaded and receiving treatment, and they were shortly going to depart for a medical center. We got on the horn with the IC and received instructions to return to basecamp to deposit the litter—mission complete.
Our role on this mission was purely support; kudos goes to the other teams already on the ground who found the subject and got him into the helo. Despite three hours of exclusively driving on forest roads, I think all members of the team felt that we performed well. I apologize to my team members that got bounced around the Xterra for hours—I had the tires inflated to 45 psi for hauling trailers of compost, and neglected to deflate them down to a more comfortable off-roading pressure (say… 25 psi). Next time I promise to take the extra five minutes to get that done, because there’s no telling how long and how rough it might get…
The primary obstacles for our team on this mission were communications and navigation. Regarding communications: typically on SAR we treat the VHF radio as the primary tool. On this mission we fortunately exchanged cell phone information with IB before departing, as it turned out to be the cell phone (sometimes while standing on the roof of the vehicle) that was most successful for continually updating our mission and receiving updates on the situation. Regarding navigation: forest roads can be a maze, with some that are fast and easy while others are dubiously passable. On this mission, a combination of different map layers available on the mobile Gaia app—pre-downloaded by multiple members of the team—allowed us to plan our routes through the woods. Aerial maps can provide the extra information necessary to decide whether a road through the woods (or across meadows) will be possible. It was this preparation (downloading maps ahead of time) and combined team navigation ability to modify the plan on the fly while bumping around roads in the dark that enabled us to flexibly respond to an evolving situation, and in the end to drive right up to the location where the subject was found.
I think I made it back to my bed around 5:30 or so.