"mgg" wrote in message
...
I didn 't know search and rescue were in the business of saving ATVs. I'm
glad it worked out for you.

--Mike

Search and rescue is not a business. In our town, it is strictly a
volunteer thing. They are "associated" with Washington County Law
Enforcement, but have no funding. It's a group of volunteers, some business
men who can afford to do it, some retirees, some who just want to help
people.

We did walk out that night, although it was a feat for a group of six with
over 360 years on all of us. We did abandon our equipment, and that was
what we wanted help to recover. What we really wanted, and would have taken
was their knowledge that we could have gone upriver a quarter mile, forded
the river twice, and driven out.

But no, here comes the cavalry. It was a drill for them. One sounded the
bugle, and within an hour, we were all at the trailhead going in. While in
there, they came back by alternate trail to reinforce their knowledge of the
area for future reference. These guys were a hoot, and everyone was
laughing most all the time. I bet they are skilled professionals during a
real emergency. The guy knew where I flipped my atv and broke my back, and
he told me that they would have been the ones to come in and get me, but
that they would have life-flighted me out. I have no idea how much that
would have been. I chose to ride 8.5 miles out. A L1 crush fracture that
made me 1/2" shorter.

I think they got a kick out of this drill, and just helping us out of a
spot. It was also a preventative measure of us going in there and getting
out by ourselves, having to ride four people in on two atvs, leaving those a
mile or so away, walking in, driving out and back to the atvs and then leap
frogging the six atvs back with four people. During any of that, anything
could have happened to turn it into a real search and rescue due to our
combined medical conditions. Even the way they told us to come out had many
risks.

They wouldn't take a dime, but we did send them $250 with instructions to
use it as they would, or give it to their favorite high school band uniform
drive. I have no idea how much a private party would have charged to do the
same thing.

And it's nice to know that there's good people out there who will come pull
you out of a hole, and then not beat you up by charging you an arm and a
leg.

Steve