The Spec Ops Blog: 01/16/14

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Mountain rescue team members—'The Lone Wolves'

Author Benjamin A. Gochberg, Vail Mountain Rescue Group (VMRG)

It was nearly Christmas, and we were grateful it had been a relatively quiet rescue season thus far.

The Vail Mountain Rescue Group had decided to hold a party at one of our members’ home.

Watching mountain men, ex-Marines, river runners, guides, patrollers, paramedics, truckers and, yes, even the one-off CPA, pastor or banker crowd into a single kitchen can be quite an interesting experience.

Mountain Rescue was once described to me as an organization made up entirely of lone wolves. This is damn accurate.

It requires strong personalities and strong will to step into some parts of the backcountry — a will that must often be used for less romantic purposes, like holding your tongue when you want to speak, or standing in the rain waiting for your next set of instructions, or hiking in 12 miles to the backside of Holy Cross to save unwise people that believe you are obligated to come get them.

It’s a volunteer organization, but few people realize how much of themselves must actually be volunteered.
I’m proud to stand among these lone wolves on this particular night,...read more here.

Source: Mountain Rescue Association

Ice-safety guidelines

General ice-thickness safety guidelines for new, clear ice, courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MDNR):

2" or less — STAY OFF
4" — Ice fishing or other activities on foot
5" — Snowmobile or ATV
8" to 12" — Car or small pickup
12" to 15" — Medium truck

Note: These guidelines are for new, clear, solid ice only. White ice or "snow ice" is only about half as strong as new clear ice. Double the above thickness guidelines when traveling on white ice. Many factors other than thickness can cause ice to be unsafe.

More ice-safety info:

Source: This article was adapted from material provided courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MDNR)

About the "Spec Ops Blog"

The Spec Ops Blog is an international search-and-rescue blog written for SAR operators. With readers in over 110 countries, users should read the "Important Notice & Disclaimer" below.

The Spec Ops Blog is edited by Michael Neiger, lead investigator with Michigan Backcountry Search and Rescue (MibSAR), a Long Range Special Operations Group (LRSOG) based in Marquette, Michigan, USA, that works select missing-person and felony cold cases in the bush of Northern Michigan (USA) and Northern Ontario (Canada).

Important Notice & Disclaimer

With search-and-rescue, law enforcement, fire service, medical, military, and wilderness-adventure readers in over 110 countries around the world, the Spec Ops Blog is written for an international audience, one representing widely-varying legal jurisdictions, diverse professional standards, and unique local protocols.
....The material presented is provided solely for information, illustration, and discussion purposes—it is not legal, medical, or other professional advice—and may not produce any particular result or be suitable for any particular situation, person, organization, jurisdiction, or other entity.
....The activities associated with the material presented are by their very nature inherently dangerous and the material cannot take the place of good personal judgment, sound decision-making, professional training, proper equipage, peak physical fitness, and expert guidance by trained, experienced, certified, licensed, practicing professionals.
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—Michael Neiger, editor of the Spec Ops Blog