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Outside Magazine February 2002

The Heroes of Search and Rescue
Masters of Disaster
Whenever adventure goes wrong, more than 5,000 everyday heroes stand ready for wilderness search and rescue. Meet six of the best in the business: unsung pioneers, backcountry veterans, and saviors of last resort who will risk everything to bring you back alive.


	Alpine Rescue Team members Howard Paul and Ed Trujillo on a technical vertical mission near Evergreen, Colorado

Atop stormy mountains, on monster seas, in unmapped caves, wherever adventure goes wrong, a cadre of daring emergency rescuers stands ready to step in and save your butt—even if it means risking their own lives. Strap on your helmet and jump into the knife-edged world of America's elite wilderness rescue squads: the perils they face, the risks they take, and the stories they tell.

The Ranger Rainier's a deadly place, but it's lot safer thanks to Mike Gauthier's dirtbag climbers. By Bruce Barcott

The Caver If you're ever trapped deep underground, you'd better hope that Buddy Lane is on the way. By Hampton Sides

The Tracker As Joel Hardin sees it, being an expert man-tracker is just a matter of reading dirt. By Bill Donahue The Dog Canada's premier avalanche-rescue specialist: He's six years old, likes kibble, and answers to Keno. By Ki Bassett

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More of Rob Story's Reports from the Field, as told by the SAR veterans who were there. From body recovery and less-than-helpful searchees to celebrity rescues and hunting for nonexistent victims.

The Pilot Flying Coast Guard choppers in Alaska is nasty work, but Melissa Rivera likes it that way. By Natasha Singer

The Volunteer Chuck Demarest and his Boulder neighbors are the busiest volunteer rescuers in the U.S. By Peter Heller

PLUS: Reporter Rob Story's Lost and Found—hair-raising stories from SAR veterans; the logic behind publishing the annual Accidents in North American Mountaineering; the biggest mistakes lost people make; and how to volunteer or sign up for a career.

Next Page: When his best friend died on Mount Rainier, Mike Gauthier set out to do the improbable: turn a ragtag crew of climbing bums into the mountain's guardian angels