In the news....

Here is press information from our latest incident.
The Durango Herald

"Hikers discover body on Cascade Creek
by Katie Burford
Herald Staff Writer
Article Last Updated; Monday, June 15, 2009 Rescue workers on Sunday were recovering the body of a man found by hikers on Cascade Creek, near the La Plata County line.

The body was found on the creek about a 45-minute hike from the trailhead for Purgatory Trail, said Butch Knowlton, director of emergency preparedness for La Plata County.

Although the identity of the person was not known, Knowlton said it could be a man who was the subject of a search-and-rescue mission in the Cascade Creek area last October.

Jeffery C. Kelley, 48, was last heard from in late September and had been living near Lime Creek, not far from the Cascade turn on U.S. Highway 550, north of Purgatory in San Juan County.

At the time, rescue workers located his camp but never were able to find Kelley. San Juan and La Plata County search-and-rescue teams helped with the search, and the Dolores Dog Team also assisted.

On Sunday morning, hikers spotted the body and alerted authorities. Rescue teams from La Plata and San Juan counties were working on the recovery effort throughout the day.

Knowlton said the body would be taken to Hood Mortuary in Durango, and an autopsy would be performed to determine the cause of death."

Startin' em early

San Juan Rando Race

Matt and Jim went up and provided comm support and acted as course marshals for the San Juan Rando Race on Sat, April 18. Although the race field wasn't big it was impressive to see the guys cover almost 7 miles and ~5,000 vert feet in 1:39.

Matt posted photos from his perch. and here are photos from my spot.

It was great fun with prizes free food and beer post race! Thanks to Pete S at Cosmic and Pine Needle and SJ Powdercats for putting on the race.

Personal Equipment for Mountain Rescue

This is a minimum equipment list to have on hand for a call out. Add personal travel equipment based on the season (skis, snowshoes,crampons, etc)

+ a day and a half pack. (Carry a pack big enough to carry personal gear and team equipment)
+ personal sit harness
+ chest harness w/ connector cord to sit harness (either tied or commercial)
+ helmet
+ eye protection
+ headlamp
+ leather gloves
+ radio w/chest harness
+ storm gear appropriate for season
+ footwear appropriate for season
+ calories (food/fluid)
+ personal medical kit
+ GPS/Compass w/ maps
+ waterproof notebook and pen
Optional (nice to have on hand)
+ bivy sack or small sleeping bag
+ fire starter
+ stove
Seasonal
+ waterfall ice climbing kit (November-April)
+ basic mountaineering ice axe (April-July)
+ lightweight crampons (April-July)
+ Avy safety equipment: probe,shovel,beacon (Nov-May)

Cordage

Have this on your harness

+ Purcell Prussik System (Small, Long, Medium) 6 or 7 mm is the best size
+ Cord for Rappel back up. 1 m 6mm cord tied into a loop. Attached below the friction device @ sit harness leg loop with a prusik hitch (2-wraps for a double rope / 3 wraps for a single rope rappel) Or use an Autoblock friction hitch.
+ 13 meters of 8 mm cord for Tandem prussiks passing the "Pinch Test" (Short 135cm / Long 165cm)

Have this on hand

+(1) 10m of 8mm cord (anchoring,extension)
+(1) 6m of 7mm accessory cord (anchoring, jigger application, etc)
+(1-2) 6mm utility prusiks
+(1) 4 or 5m of 25mm webbing strand (anchoring, chest harness, rap extension)

Hardware

+ 4-5 "D" Locking Carabiners (25-28 kN)
+ 1-2 HMS Pear Style Locking biner (used to do a Munter Hitch)
+ Belay/Rappel device: Make sure it can do autoblocking. A good example is the BD ATC Guide
+ 2 small pulleys (CMC Protec)
+ small knife (no rambos!)

Optional Team Gear to Carry

+ Mini-brake rack
+ (1) small "ice cube tray" edge pro (CMC brand flexible edge protection)