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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.

Who We Are

If an El Cap rescue is urgent, then it’s a short haul—hooking someone in with a 150-foot line to the bottom of a helicopter.
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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.

We just needed each other.
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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.

912, location, sundance, resort, mountain, rescue
Sponsor Content

Filson Presents: The Remarkable Skills of Rescue Dogs

In the off chance that you are caught up in an avalanche, a beacon, bright gear, and a rescue dog are your best chances for survival

How We Work

SAR team recommended gears
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What Search and Rescue Workers Want You to Carry

Don't become a rescue statistic

Despite a wide range of environments and conditions in which SAR operations occur, most follow a similar protocol.
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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.

On May 20, 35-year-old Noah “Kekai” Mina went for a walk on the unmarked Kapilau Ridge Trail, also known as the Iao Valley Secret Trail.
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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.

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. During his tenure, he’s helped find lots of lost hikers and plucked many an injured climber off El Capitan. Here’s a list of the gear he relies on most during his missions.
Max Whittaker

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

“Don’t wait until someone is on the verge of not making it,” Nadia Kimmel says, “because they may not make it.”
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The ABCs of SOS

When—and how—should you call in search and rescue?

In search and rescue situations, wellbeing of the individuals involved is a top priority. Still, it is impossible to completely remove economic factors, even in emergency situations.
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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.

John Zilles struggled for 45 minutes, trying to catch the wind in his kite.
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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?

The SPOT X retails for $250, weighs 6.7 oz, and features a 2.7-inch dot matrix illuminated screen and physical QWERTY keyboard. It looks like an orange Blackberry with an over-sized antenna.
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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

These are just a few of the terrifying stories Yosemite SAR has to tell.
Charles R. “Butch” Farabee

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

Vic badly strained his LCL during a stumble on a washed-out trail and is my only client who has needed a helicopter evacuation.
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A Crash Course in Wilderness Medical Training

When you spend months each year in the backcountry, things are bound to go wrong eventually

Ferrara in Aspen, October 2010
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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

The wild is free and open, full of opportunity to explore—and also to get lost.
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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?