When the Rescuer Becomes the Rescued
What happens when you find yourself on El Cap with a badly injured partner? Former Yosemite Search and Rescue (YOSAR) worker Josie McKee and climber Quinn Brett found out.
Nov 5, 2019
The Secrets of Search and Rescue
You’re out in the backcountry, and something goes wrong. Maybe you break a leg. You’re hit by a rock. Now what? If you’re lucky, search and rescue will find you. Whether volunteers, rangers, or helicopter pilots, these are men and women who brave dicey and dangerous conditions to help stranded climbers, hikers, and hunters. We’ve collected their stories about what they know, what you can learn from them—and the burdens they carry long after you are home safe.
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Who We Are
Mar 6, 2019
Blood on Our Hands
For some climbing rangers in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park, every ridgeline holds the memory of a rescue, every peak a body bag. It's more than they can handle alone.
How We Work
Nov 5, 2019
What Search and Rescue Workers Want You to Carry
Don't become a rescue statistic
Mar 4, 2016
Inside the Art of Backcountry Search and Rescue
When a person goes missing outdoors, there’s a specific protocol for finding them within the first 24 hours. After that first day, it becomes much tougher.
May 29, 2019
How a Crew of Maui Volunteers Found Two Missing Hikers in a Week
Five days after an ad hoc army of volunteer searchers rescued hiker Amanda Eller, the yoga teacher missing for 17 days on Maui, the same crew located missing person Noah "Kekai" Mina just 20 miles away. This time, the ending was not so happy.
May 16, 2017
The Most Important Gear of Yosemite’s Search and Rescue Team
Aaron Smith has been a member of the storied Yosemite Search and Rescue team for over 15 years. He’s also on the park’s elite helicopter rescue squad. Here’s a list of the gear he relies on most during his missions.
How to Come Home Alive
Nov 5, 2019
The ABCs of SOS
When—and how—should you call in search and rescue?
Jun 4, 2015
Is Search and Rescue a Public Service? Not Exactly.
When you’re stuck in the backcountry and need help, several states could bill you for the trouble of saving your life. It’s worth knowing where you might be held liable.
Nov 22, 2017
SOS in the Age of Smartwatches
Being able to call for help from his watch helped saved John Zilles, but will wearable tech be a help or burden to search and rescue?
Nov 11, 2018
The Best Satellite Messenger for Adventurers on a Budget
A solid budget-minded option, so long as you can tolerate the infuriating keyboard
Stories We Tell
Aug 31, 2017
3 Terrifying True Stories from Yosemite's Search and Rescue
A search and rescue veteran recounts some of the most nail-biting missions on land and water
Jul 18, 2019
A Crash Course in Wilderness Medical Training
When you spend months each year in the backcountry, things are bound to go wrong eventually
Dec 27, 2010
The Man Who Saw Too Much
Aspen’s Michael Ferrara is bringing attention to a little-known problem: post-traumatic stress disorder among the people who save our lives
Mar 13, 2017
How 1,600 People Disappeared on Our Public Lands
When 18-year-old Joe Keller vanished from a dude ranch in Colorado's Rio Grande National Forest, he joined the ranks of those missing on public land. No official tally exists, but their numbers are growing. And when an initial search turns up nothing, who'll keep looking?