"The fact is that censorship always defeats it’s own purpose, for it creates, in the end,
the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion."
                                      H Commager

07- 73      9- 1- 07      Lost Jeep Golden Spike
     A couple from back east in a Rubicon. He knew how to drive well but couldn’t fine his way out. He drove all day and spent the night up there. He drove
all the next day... no outlet.
     In late afternoon, he called out on his CB and raised someone over on Hells Revenge. That person called James. James talked to them a bit. He went out
to near Courthouse Wash parking lot and saw the subjects waving from up on the Gold Bar Rim.
     By the time our ATVs got to the top of Poison Spider it was dark. The ATVs moved north until they met the subjects. They had run out of gas.
     The subjects subsequently sent the 4 rescuers gift boxes of cheeses, pepperoni and stuff.
Responders: Duckie, Lee, James, Nancy, Barbara

07- 74      9- 2- 07      Car Stuck      Hey Joe Canyon
     These guys were out out for a scenic drive. They got on to the Spring Canyon Road and kept going, thinking it would lead back to I-70, making a nice loop drive. This road got narrower and bumpier and they kept going. Eventually, down along the Green River, they high centered their 2 wheel drive rental sedan.
     They started walking, not back the way they came. A short while later, some civilians came upon the stuck car. They said the car was still warm. They yelled and scouted a bit. They came back to town and reported the car to the SO and gave the license number. The RO was a rental company in TX.
     GCSAR responded with a Ranger and the backcountry Bronco. Down Spring Canyon, out along the river for about 2 miles to discover the car, high
centered in the middle of a narrow road. Footprints told some the story. No vehicle could pass the stuck car and it was 5 more miles to the end of the dirt road.
It was decided to go back to town and get a motorcycle which could be pushed around the car.

     John and Lee had a tough time getting even a motorcycle around the car to continue the search.
     John followed tracks everywhere. 3 people. Up river, down river, up Hey Joe Canyon, down Hey Joe Canyon. After it got light in the morning, he saw a canoe trip on the river. He hailed them and asked if they’d seen any one walking the shore. "Oh that would be me," said one person in one of the canoes. One
of the guys had hailed the canoe party to get a ride down to Mineral Canyon to walk back to town for help.
     With some doing, John got all 3 guys back to the car.
     Meanwhile, Lee found the car jack in the back seat of the car. He proceeded to jack the car up, put rocks under the wheels and drive off the high center point. The lost people had started to do just that but gave up cuz it "looked too dangerous." that’s when they started walking.
     The sedan high centered 4 more times getting back to reasonable roads.
Responders: John, Rex, Melissa, Jon, Lee

07- 75      9- 3- 07      Agency Assist      Arches Natural Park      Litter and Wheel
     This guy fell down on his chest. The people around him thot he was having a heart attack.
     GCSAR assisted Arches personnel with the carry out of this subject. St Mary’s helicopter landed near Landscape Arch.
Responders: Nancy, Steve

     All: I want to extend my thanks to all of you, plus Kiersa (CCOE) and Glenn Sherrill, for working on Sunday's Black Arch Overview SAR and/or the Tuesday morning Landscape Arch SAR. Both of these incidents came at busy times, and it was tough to find enough people to help. This makes your participation all the more important and appreciated. Thanks to your hard work, both situations had good resolutions.
     Bego: Please pass on our thanks to Nancy May and Steve Brownell from Grand County SAR for their assistance!
     Sincerely,      Laura E. Joss      Superintendent, Arches National Park

"Censorship reflects a society’s lack of confidence in itself." Potter Stewart

XX      9- 5- 07      Airplane Crash      Book Cliffs      Santio Knolls
     They were looking for Elk and flew up a canyon they could fly out of and crash landed on a ridge way up in the Book Cliffs, miles from anywhere. The two walked away. Cell phoned, gave coordinates. Dispatch asked us for a map with an X marking the spot.
     The DPS helicopter from SLC flew down to resolve the problem.
Responders: Pace did well in the DPS helo

07- 76      9- 7- 07      Agency Assist      Arches Nat’l Park      Carry out
     Female hiker having trouble with her knees out by Double O Arch. We assisted with the carry out.
Responders: Frank, Steve, Mike

07- 77      9- 15- 07      Biker Down      SRBT
     From the initial 3rd party reports it was hard to tell if this guy wanted help. Then he did.
     We responded with a Ranger and went out to The Half Pipe. By then, the EMTs had his broken arm bandaged and all walked out to the parking lot.
Responders: John, Melissa, Mike, James, Bego, Duckie

07- 78      9- 15, 16- 07      Hunter Injury      Book Cliffs     
     This incident happened high up in the Book Cliffs maybe 10 horse miles from any road. This country is heavily timbered and is way more steep than flat.
     Before sunset this guy was injured when his horse rolled on top of him and the pommel landed on his sternum. His son cell phoned from a higher point on
the ridge.
     Ambulance, GCSAR and CareFlight paged. We all met at UDOT Road Shed in Thompson to develop a plan. Deputy Pace said going in overland would
take a looong time with a lot of hiking. CareFlight was not very interested in such a mission especially cuz it looked like the nearest guaranteed LZ would be a
mile from the subject.
     We decided to call the Department of Public Safety helicopter in SLC. He would respond.
     At 0130 hours, the helo took EMT James with medical equipment and a litter/backboard kit up to the site. The LZ up there was perched on the ridge edge
in heavy brush. A hot unload situation.
     EMT James fixed up his subject and with the help of the other hunters, loaded him in the helo. The injured subject was transferred to the CareFlight helo
down by I-70.
     We got back to town just before 1st light.
Responders: John, Melissa, Bego
            Thanks to Lori Bell, EMT and FireFighter of Thompson, for her hospitality.

Democracies don’t easily adopt painful measures.

"People who use information as power do not make good leaders." The FEMA guy last year

07- 79      9-22- 07      Biker Down      SRBT
     A dehydrated guy at the Half Pipe. He tried to get up and continue walking out to the parking lot but couldn’t. He was wheeled to the Ranger and taken to
 the ambulance.
Responders: Margy. Rex, Lee, Melissa, Barbara

followed immediately by.......

07- 80      9- 22- 07      Biker Down      Porcupine Rim
     Rain storms and lightning all around, fast weather. This biker crashed at The Diving Board. He fell on the handlebars on his stomach. Big hurt.
     They had cell phone contact with dispatch and borrowed a stronger battery from a local biker. A second call asked for a helicopter cuz the patient was
getting worse and it was getting darker, colder and the weather was moving in.
     We responded to the trailhead with ATVs. They called back to say he was really hurting and feared internal bleeding / injuries.
     CareFlight was paged but they needed coordinates. No one out there had a GPS and we didn’t know the Diving Board location. They said they were 8
miles out on the trail so we gave coords for that area, derived from the Moab North map.
     With darkness impending and fast, stormy weather around, the helo came to those coords and looked up and down the road for a few minutes. It then
landed near the patient with directions from a cell phone thru dispatch. No problem. GCSAR members continued to the rest of the party to distribute lights
and water.
     GCSAR members got a good drenching on the way out.
Responders: Rex, Lee, Melissa, Duckie, Bego, Margy, John

Bego,
    Chris W...... forwarded your e-mail to me. I am very grateful to you and the whole SAR Team. I wish I could thank you guys in person but I am in Maine
and do not know when I will be back in Moab if ever. That being said I feel compelled to send you E-Mail to tell you and your team. THANK YOU. I never
got a chance to meet the Men and Woman that were looking for us. The helicopter arrived first so I was gone when the team arrived. I will be truthful with you,
I thought I was going to die on that ridge. It was not until I could hear the ATV's off in the distance did I feel like I had a chance of getting of the mountain. As
you know the Helicopter took me to Grand Junction where I had surgery to repair my small intestine. A few days after the surgery when I was able to walk, I went downstairs to the Air Ambulance office and was able to meet and thank the air crew that picked me up. It was a good feeling to say thank you and shake there hands. I Wish I could do this with the SAR Team. Please Let your Guys know that I am doing fine. I am still working on recovering and hope to be back
on my bike by spring.
     Thanks
             Ken ............

07- 81      9- 29- 07      Overdue boaters      Colorado River      below Westwater
     A not so forthright boater we’ll call Bob.
     The call came from "a third party" (Bob) that 2 boats and folks were stuck upstream, incapable of rowing to the take out cuz of VERY high winds and it
was getting too cold for how they weren’t prepared. It’s well known in the boating world that high winds delay boaters regularly coming out of Westwater.
     At first it was hard to tell if there was a "real" emergency.
     GCSAR and NPS responded with the NPS river boat. An ambulance was also dispatched.
     The ambulance got to Cisco where this third party (Bob) waved them down and said the boaters had made it out safely. 10- 22.
     It was discovered thru subsequent detective work that Bob was the permit holder, trip leader and the 911 caller. Said he had been boating for 20 years.
If he is so experienced, why wasn’t his party prepared to hang out for awhile and stay warm? And reach the take out.
Responders: Nancy, Melissa, Barbara, Lee, Bego NPS boaters: TBerry and Kyler

07- 82      10- 7- 07      Biker Down      Porcupine Rim Trail     
     Mountain biker with broken ankle, 2 1/2 miles in on the trail.
     We responded with ATVs and EMS.
Responders: Rex, Jim, Lee, Mike, Jim

07- 83      10- 9- 07      Lost Mountain Biker      Bitter Creek      Kokopelli Trail
     Near the end of a GCSAR meeting at 2100 hours, Eric 1 T 13 came in to advise of an overdue mountain biker over by the Colorado State Line. She had been missing since 1600 hrs. He said Mesa County was responding with ATV searchers and we should field a team also.
     So, 5 of us with 4 ATVs responded to Westwater Exit and I-70 to pick up communications with Mesa County. Radio channels established, we proceeded
to the railroad tracks near the Westwater Ranch to unload. As we were briefing our plan, Mesa County located the biker.
Responders: Bego, John, Lee, Mike, Steve

07- 84      10- 12- 07      Biker Down      Klondike Bluffs
     She put a gash near her knee so someone in her party called 911. GCSAR and EMS responded behind Archie 1 T 4.
     Then we heard that she was getting a ride out on a motorcycle. When everyone met, she refused services.
Responders: Bego, Lee, Jim

Meanwhile, Arches NP had a big event in the Fiery Furnace.

XX      10- 12, 13, 14- 07      NPS Technical Rock Rescue      Above and below the Shafer Bench, ISKY
     A fun 3 day shindig put on by TBerry of NPS fame.
     At long last, single rope techniques (always with a second rope belay) were practiced. Good ol’ rappelling and ascending. Then one litter evolution (lower
and raise) with the litter empty. On the 3rd day, we set up the AZ Vortex and did 2 evolutions with a subject in the litter. Nice.
Responders from GCSAR: Jim, Ken, Bego
               From NPS: A bunch

SLACK:      Strength of materials.      Lines of force      Anchors      Commands      Knots

07- 85      10- 15- 07      Biker Down      SRBT
     Broken wrist.
Responders: John,

07- 86      10- 15- 07      Biker Down      Hidden Valley Trail
     Shoulder problem. By the time EMS and GCSAR arrived he was walking down and refused services.
Responders: John,

07- 87      10- 17- 07      Stranded      Merrimac Butte
     Something about leaving a note somewhere, vehicle stuck??, to call SAR if they weren’t out by such and such a time.
     Call made.
     We went looking but had hardly gotten started when the turned up OK... in town. Oh?
Responders: Frank, Lee, Mike, Steve, Bego

------------------------------------

Are You Safe? (Article from the Cragmont Climbing Club newsletter, The Crag)
By Dan Zimmerlin

Of course you are. You have been climbing for a fair length of time and have had no problems. A record of safety does indicate something. One big thing is
that you probably have the good judgment not to get into bad situations. But what if something does go wrong, despite judgment? Will you know how to deal
with it? And what about your partners? What do you know about them? Sure, you have known some of them for quite a while. You know what they know
and you know they have good judgment. That is one reason they are your friends. But what about the others? The ones you don't know so well? What do they know?

Currently in the Club, membership is decided almost exclusively on judgment. Someone comes out on a club trip and climbs with members. That person
can then become a member based on the recommendation of the members he or she climbed with. If the members believe that climber to be the kind of person we would like to climb with, to have the judgment to climb safely at whatever level they are at, then they can become a member. (See Membership procedures.) Obviously members are evaluating the new person's judgment on relatively little interaction. In fact I think this is just fine. If everyone has the judgment to play conservatively, not push the limits too hard and leave a wide margin for error, then I think we can climb reasonably safely, individually and as a club.

The only problem with this is it doesn't lend itself to much adventure or excitement. Yes, you can get good, like the sport climber who pushes the physical limits but always has a bolt nearby. But can you safely go out and do something adventurous? Manage the risk and consequences? What do you need to push out a little further?

First and foremost, you need experience. If you really have been climbing a while then you have probably been in a lot of different circumstances and you have come to recognize potential difficulties. You know what bad pro looks like as well as what those clouds are likely to do. Experience is a great teacher. You undoubtedly have developed quite a bit of knowledge about what is safe and what is not. And maybe you have run across most of the major safety techniques
in the course of your career. But when you are relatively new, there is this problem, commonly known as the bootstrap problem: You need experience to be
safe and you need to be safe to gain experience.

The traditional way our progenitors in the Sierra Club Rock Climbing Section (RCS) [1950s-60s] dealt with this was to have each prospective member pass
a series of ten safety tests for membership. The idea was that new people would gain experience while preparing for the tests and demonstrate specific skills in passing the tests. For a number of reasons that are not important here, the Club abandoned these tests when we separated from the Sierra Club. But several of
us who were around back in the "good old days" of the RCS feel that we may have thrown the baby out with the bath water. I am not proposing that we go
back to having formal tests. And we had considered developing a self-test procedure, but never got it together. (There are some technical problems I'd be
happy to discuss with anyone who is interested in this idea.) I thought maybe a first step would be to air some of the issues and let the judgment of the
members take it from there.

So I will recap the ten RCS tests and give my current thoughts on each, as well as some overarching perspective. If nothing else, perhaps this will encourage us
all to think about and discuss safety issues with each other and most especially with our partners. And if it leads to anyone realizing they could use a little work
on anything, I'd be happy to meet you out at Cragmont to practice.

RCS Tests [ This is the stuff of Bego at age 14. TBerry grew up like this too. All belaying was the Sitting Hip Belay, Goldline laid rope, no rappel devices other than the body and biners, Prusik knots cuz no mechanical ascenders, webbing harness or just a Swami belt, bowlines, no 8’s.]

1. With an upper belay, climb up and down a short pitch...

OK. So you have to start somewhere. But this isn't really about testing one's ability to climb up and down. It is about how to do it safely. Like did you check
your knot? Do you use proper rope signals: On Belay, Up Rope, etc.? How about the silent ones: three tugs? And what if the rope doesn't go up? Established procedures and some variations for the common mishaps.

2. Tie into an anchor and belay another up a pitch ... These procedures must be demonstrated twice: belaying a "second" climbing up from below and belaying
a "leader" climbing above you.

Obviously we all must have good belay technique, more than just not letting go with the brake hand (which we all seem to do on occasion.) It includes picking
a good stance and holding a test fall. It may include knowing what it feels like for a leader to clip and maybe even what the rope will do in a leader fall. It takes time and different settings.

3. Demonstrate your ability to rappel using a body rappel, to rappel using a carabiner-brake rappel and to stop in mid-rappel and tie yourself off...

Getting used to rappelling took me a very long time. I sure would not have liked to do my first rappel off some spire where you have to ease off the top from above the anchors. Maybe you don't need to know a body rappel, but I for one actually lost my figure-8 (walking to the descent route) and had to remember
the carabiner-brake for real. And we used to require that people use a prusik on a rappel. We seem to have abandoned that, even though it was probably
safer. How about using a prusik to un-jam a rappel device? Or to pass a knot? I think there is more to rappelling than sliding down a rope.

4. While hanging free from the rope, rig prusik slings and prusik up over an overhang.

So you are stuck on a ledge. Your partner has led up over a bulge which you can't follow. You are tempted to batman up the 15 ft of hard stuff to get onto
easier ground. DON'T DO IT! Do I have to draw you a picture? That's like being 15 ft above a ledge with no protection in. You slip and you'll find yourself
back on that ledge with broken bones. Prusik up and tie back up knots behind you. That is what the technique is for. Learn it. And then think about other times you might apply it. (I used it last weekend to get out of a mess.)

5. Demonstrate your ability to set up and retrieve rappels... on natural anchors, artificial anchors (chocks) and on bolts.

Rappel anchors is one of those things that are probably best learned in the field. On the other hand, you don't want to be figuring it out when setting up rappels
in the dark after taking too long on a climb. And there are some specific techniques that keep you from wasting a lot of time, if not worse. Get your practice before you push the envelop.

6. From a lower belay position you have chosen, hold three falls of a 120 lb. weight dropped at least 15 ft.

The dreaded weight test. It is far from a perfect simulation. Still it is worth experiencing if you have never caught a real fall. Two things to notice: how little time you have to react and how much force is involved.

7. From a belay position you have set up, hold a fall, tie off the fallen climber in such a way that he/she is securely anchored and that you may get up from your belay.

 I have been climbing for 20 years and have rescued several injured climbers. But I have never needed to tie off a climber. The closest I ever came was not an injured leader, but a frozen follower. If he hadn't responded to the logic that he had no choice but to follow the pitch (we were 3 pitches up, including an ugly traverse), then I was going to tie him off and go down and kick him up the pitch. My point being, I had options. You can't use what you don't know.

8. Demonstrate your ability to carry out a multi-pitch climb. You will be expected to lead one pitch placing protection (both natural and artificial) which is
capable of holding a leader fall. In addition, your ability to set up anchors, to effectively manage the rope, and to clean a pitch will be tested.

This is clearly a big one. It has many parts. Anchors alone has many subtleties. For example, a lot has been written lately about load-sharing anchors. I am all
for it. Just don't forget the basics: multiple independent anchors. Think about Piana and Skinner on the Salathe when the block with several bolts that everything was tied to came loose and took them over the edge. Only because Piana had put a #2 friend in a separate crack, attached with an independent sling, did they live. Otherwise they would have gone with the rest of their gear to the valley floor, 3000 ft below. And then there is rope management. There is more to rope management than flaking.

But this test was also meant to be more than the sum of its parts. Being able to manage multi-pitch climbing efficiently and safely is central to our sport.

9. Demonstrate your ability to follow and lead an aid pitch.

So maybe we should drop this one. If you want to go do big walls, then you should get some specialized practice. And free climbers just don't use traditional
aid techniques much anymore. Maybe this could be replaced with emergency aid techniques, like how to rig slings to aid up a short crack you can't lead.

10. While you are on an out of town trip demonstrate your ability to use the techniques you have learned...

This is essentially the one test we kept. Come climbing with us and show us that you can do it all safely.

The first four tests were Part I of the test sheet. These were the basic skills one should demonstrate to be a competent second. You would know how to climb, belay, rappel and self-rescue by prusiking. Part II, tests 5-9, were the skills one should be able to demonstrate to be considered a well rounded leader. And
test 10 was the final exam.

Obviously I do not believe that these tests contain all the skills one needs to be a competent climber. Maybe in the oblique logic of tests, if you have been
around long enough to have learned and demonstrated your ability to do these things, then you probably have picked up all the stuff that is not explicitly
mentioned in the tests. I am certain this is not true of our current assessment. But then, if you have the judgment, you will take the time to learn these
things as well as all the stuff not mentioned.

------------------------------------

07- 88      10- 27- 07      Motorcycle Wreck      White Wash Sand Dunes
     Brent 1 T 11 Pace solved this with coordinates from the RP and St Mary’s CareFlight. 10-22 for us.
Responders: Bego, Dave, Barbara, John, Melissa, Steve

------------------------------------

To me it was Damoclean.
     "Enjoy the banquet, but hanging over your head, suspended by a single horsehair, is a sword whose bielby layer is a single molecule thick."

Upper Colorado River Basin Hydrology
April through July unregulated inflow to Lake Powell in 2007 was 4.05 million acre-feet, only 51 percent of average. Water year inflow to Lake Powell for
2007 (October 2006 through September 2007) was 68 percent of average. The 2007 water year inflow was boosted by the heavy storm events that took
place in October 2006 resulting in Lake Powell increasing by 6.2 feet during that particular month. Inflow to Lake Powell is currently 9,600 cfs (October 1, 2007). Total inflow in September 2007 was 296,000 acre-feet, or 62 percent of average.

Lake Powell reached a seasonal peak elevation of 3,611.7 feet on June 25, 2007. The current elevation of Lake Powell (October 1, 2007) is 3,601.9 feet
with 11.93 million acre-feet of storage (49 percent of capacity). The elevation of Lake Powell is currently nearly identical to what it was one year ago today.
[On October 1, 2006 the elevation of Lake Powell was 3601.7 feet] The water surface elevation of Lake Powell will likely decrease between now and March
of 2008. The projected elevation of Lake Powell on January 1, 2008 is 3,596 feet.

Upper Colorado River Basin Drought
The Upper Colorado River Basin is experiencing a protracted multiyear drought. Since 1999, inflow to Lake Powell has been below average in every year
except one.

In the summer of 1999, Lake Powell was essentially full with reservoir storage at 23.5 million acre-feet, or 97 percent of capacity. Inflow to Lake Powell in
1999 was 109 percent of average. The manifestation of drought conditions in the Upper Colorado River Basin began in the fall months of 1999. A five year period of extreme drought occurred in water years 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 with unregulated inflow to Lake Powell only 62, 59, 25, 51, and 49 percent of average, respectively. Lake Powell storage decreased through this five-year period, with reservoir storage reaching a low of 8.0 million acre-feet
(33 percent of capacity) on April 8, 2005.

Drought conditions eased in water year 2005 in the Upper Colorado River Basin. Precipitation was above average in 2005 and unregulated inflow to Lake Powell was 105 percent of average. Lake Powell increased by 2.77 million acre-feet (31 feet in elevation) during water year 2005. But as is often the case,
one favorable year does not necessarily end a protracted drought. In 2006, there was a return to drier conditions in the Colorado River Basin. Unregulated
inflow to Lake Powell in water year 2006 was only 71 percent of average.

Water year 2007 was another year of below average inflow with unregulated inflow into Lake Powell at 68 percent of average. Over the past 8 years (2000 through 2007, inclusive), inflow to Lake Powell will have been below average in all but one year (2005). Reservoir storage in Lake Powell and Lake Mead has decreased during the past 8 years.

Reservoir storage in Lake Powell and Lake Mead is currently 49 and 48 percent of capacity, respectively.

                                           Updated: Nov 1, 2007 Tom Ryan

-------------------------------------------------------

Ten Essentials means Be Prepared

Summary- brain, matches, water, electrolytes, light.

Keep Warm: When your body core drops below a certain temperature, you will become a victim and the other 9 essentials won’t matter a hoot.
          You can go 3 days without water if sitting still in the shade but you will die soon if you are too cold. Light a fire. Wind chill is an enemy, even
          in the summer.
          Fire- If you are below timberline and get caught out, here’s number one. Waterproof matches or a DRY lighter that has gas in it. Fire kit includes
                   a Knife so you can whittle a stick down to dry wood tinder. Practice. You have to practice fire making.
         Clothing- Dress in layers. Inside layer should never be cotton. Wool is good. Synthetics best. Outer clothing is wind proof cuz of wind chill. Warm hat,
                   gloves, footware. Carry a rain jacket in every season for that surprise cold rain storm.
         Space Blanket- For 2 ounces, an easy shelter for you and your friend.

Keep Cool in the Summer- Start early, take shade rests, big hat, protect skin from sun.
                   Summer thunderstorms can get you very cold in minutes. Spring and Fall = large T variations.

Fuel:
         Water- In the summer heat more than a gallon per day. 2 bike bottles not enough. Get a 100 oz Camelback. Drinking just water with no electrolytes
                   is also bad = hyponatremia = water intox. Balance electrolytes (especially sodium) and water carefully. "Sports Drinks" good.
         Food- Eat a little regularly. Salty food for Sodium when sweating a lot. Potato chips.

Seeing at Night:
         Headlamp- A lot of folks have to spend the night out (got matches?) for lack of light. Carry a good headlamp & spare batteries. Start your outing early
                   in the day (cooler). Be aware of moon cycles- for half the month, the moon is quite bright much of the night.

Where:                          --> Tell someone where you are going and when you will return <--
         Map, Compass, GPS- Navigation is an art. Be sure you know where you are going and have a reasonable estimate of the time needed to get back
                   to the car. A GPS without batteries or practice is nothing. Learn navigational tools, skills. Map reading. A keen sense of "dead reckoning" is
                   helpful.      Take a charged CELL PHONE. It might work.

First Aid:
          Fix You- Stop the bleeding. Gauze, tape. Wound cleansing. Blister stuff. Sliver grippers. Includes HAT, sunglasses, sunscreen, bug spray. Cover up
                    from the sun. Hydrate, eat.
          Fix Stuff- Repair, patch kits, tools for your equipment. Duct tape, bailing wire, small cord....?

Other essentials?
         Some of your pack will be seasonal, terrain and task dependent. How big a pack needed?
           How long will you be out? Communications? What about winter travel? Mountains or prairie?
           --Beacon, shovel, extra warmth when snowmobiling --tech rope equip --TP -- Jolly Ranchers 

--------------------------------------------------------

FORMAT and ACCURACY of COORDINATES

Latitude and Longitude: read north (up), then west (left)

--D.dd      Degrees and decimal parts of degrees. Like "On Star," some web sites, etc
                 38.4734     109.5678       4 or 5 digits right of the decimal point.

--DMS      Degrees, Minutes and Seconds- what most people think they know
                  N 38º  34’   27.4"                                 W 109º  32’   50.7"
                  1 second of latitude is about 101 feet      1 second of longitude is about 80 feet
                  Therefore, tenths of seconds are not important.

--DM.m     Degrees and decimal parts of minutes- most GPS units default to this format
                  N 38º   34.457’                                    W 109º   32.844’
                  One tenth minute latitude is about 607 feet, one tenth minute longitude about 484 feet.
                         1/10 min = 607 ft                            1/10 min= 484 ft     (about 80% of 607)
                         1/100 min= 60 ft                             1/100 min= 48 ft
                         1/1000 min= 6 ft                             1/1000 min= 5 ft
                  1 minute of latitude = 1 nautical mile = 1852 meters = 6076+ feet = 1.15 mile
                  "A nautical mile per minute" for latitude, less for longitude due to convergence.
                  Grand County is close to a ONE Degree square= 60 nautical miles N-S (69 mi), less E-W

+++++++++++++++++

  UTM:       Universal Transverse Mercator      (one of many types of map projections of the earth)
                -- Read right (easting), then up (northing)         -- Numbers are real meters on the ground.
                -- All zones in USA are 6º wide by 8º tall.       -- We are Zone 12 S    (S is NOT for South)

                 easting:                                                                   northing:
                 06 26 539- (126,539 meters from the                     42 70 329- (meters North of the equator)
                               centerline of zone 12)

                     06 26 53 is accurate to 10 meters
                     06 26 5 is accurate to 100 meters
                     06 26 is accurate to 1000 meters.   This is the UTM grid printed on our 7 1/2’ topo maps
                     06 2 is accurate to 10,000 meters. These are the grid ticks on the 1:100,000 maps

 +++++++++++++++++

Continuing.......... into the National Grid Reference System (NGRS), part of NIMS

                      The hundred thousand meter grid (the 05, 06 and 42, 43 in GRCO) will become letters.
                      Both 100,000 letters will be together followed by the easting then northing.

                      Instead of   06 26 443    by    42 70 501   that we now use (and will continue to do so)

                      NGRS says XH2644370501    accuracy to 1 meter
                                             XH2670    accuracy to 1,000 meters.
 

--------------------------------------------------------

THE INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM

Incidents in Grand County are handled using the Incident Command System ( ICS ). It is flexible, expanding and contracting as you need it.

#06-6 (Nov-Dec, 2006) -- Taz, a mixed breed dog, speeds trackers to his injured owner
#06-5 (Sept-Oct, 2006) -- Record rains mean marooned hikers on Delicate Arch Trail
#06-4 (July-August, 2006) -- Geo-Cachers seek trailhead, we assist Arches NP with a search for an overdue hiker
#06-3 (May-June, 2006) -- Summer avalanche takes a hiker, a boater steps from Room of Doom
#06-2 (Mar-Apr, 2006) -- Rock rescues, jeeping without a seatbelt, Exxon demonstration
#06-1 (Jan-Feb, 2006) -- Eyewitness evidence, up a trail without a spare, MINS
 

#05-6 (Nov-Dec, 2005) -- Multiple BASE jumpers hang-up on the same cliff,  we slip into the New Year
#05-5 (Sept-Oct, 2005) -- ATVers, BASE Jumpers and a River Rescue
#05-4 (July-August, 2005) -- An angry  rattlesnake , a manhunt and an ATV accident requiring a 100 ft technical rock rescue
#05-3 (May-June, 2005) -- ATV incidents increase but it's heat that takes the toll
#05-2 (Mar-Apr, 2005) -- Winter rescue at a B&B, a rock falls from under a camper and a night-time river trip
#05-1 (Jan-Feb, 2005) -- Search training, an active snow season, and a night-time rescue
 

#04-6 (Nov-Dec, 2004) -- Snow and mud mean overdue people
#04-5 (Sept-Oct, 2004) -- Bikers fall, camper falls, and one person picks up a snake
#04-4 (July-August, 2004) -- Dehydration and falls
#04-3 (May-June, 2004) -- Lost hikers, a fallen climber and a missing hitchhiker

#02-6 (Nov-Dec, 2002)--Depressed people, a speeding semi and winter warnings
#02-5 (Sept-Oct, 2002) – Floating Hummer, Mystery Ropes, Two Recoveries
#02-4 (July-August, 2002) -- Stuck kids, more broken bikers and lost hikers
#02-3 (May-June, 2002) -- Hot bikers, dried bikers, late bikers...lessons in desert biking.
#02-2 (Mar-Apr, 2002) -- Flying cars, rolling jeeps, crashing ATV's -- another typical Easter in Moab
#02-1 (Jan-Feb, 2002) -- Hummering along, Olympically Torched, Dogsgone

#01-5 (Sept-Dec, 2001) -- Three cheers for Nancy, more fun on the rocks, broken bones
#01-4 (July-August, 2001) -- Mock muck, river claims victims, aMAZEing survival
#01-3 (May-June, 2001) -- Group heat exhaustion, Zane flies, boys get stuck
#01-2 (March-April, 2001) -- Rocks fall, bones break, bikers get lost
#01-1 (Jan-Feb., 2001) -- Doggie Bagged; Pilot dies in Book Cliffs crash

#00-5 (Sept.-Oct. 2000) -- Brad finds a son; a relatively quiet couple of months.
#00-4 (July-August2000) -- Airplane crash, a note from Colin, the search for Jeff Firak
#00-3  (Apr-June2000) -- Stuck on the Tombstone, the usual lost and dried bikers, Chris's Mill Creek adventure, Clinton stabilizes Frank's porch
#00-1,2,&2.5 (Jan-Apr2000) -- Nathan jumps, Matt splats, waiting for high water, confluence disappears, Mill Creek wall strike

#99-5 (Sept-Dec99) -- The "Mari" incident, Westwater drowning, Jeeping off Gemini, Stuck on Fine Jade
#99-4 (July - August 99) -- NPS Whitewater Rescues; Prepare Fair; Tracking by Sgt.Green; Credit for responding, finishing the job; Air Life's preferred radio freq;
                                               The Puke Frog returns; Lightning
#99-3 (May-June 99) -- Cataract High; Web rescue; Disaster Brothers; Search Training; Short Haul at altitude; Leadership; Rescue: Who pays
#99-2 (Mar-Apr 99) -- River Peak Flow Forecast; Arches Rock Rescue; Lift Evacuation Team; Huge Fund Raiser; Thanks Brad; Knotcraft
#99-1 (Jan-Feb 99) -- Adventure; "Too Short"; Gary Haynes; Evac Team Paid Now

#98-6 (Nov-Dec 98) -- Thanks Yous; Tramway and rescue plans; Cellular Phonefinder; Practice Safe Response; Pipeline Go BOOM
#98-5 (Sept-Oct 98) -- Credit for Responding; Colin Smith @ NPS SAR; Response Statistics; Old Men Do Cliff ResQ; Documentation; SLTrib: $ for SAR
#98-4 (July-Aug 98)
#98-3 (May-June 98)
#98-2 (Mar-Apr 98)
#98-1 (Jan-Feb 98)

#97-6 (Nov-Dec 97)
#97-5 (Sept-Oct 97)
#97-4 (July-Aug 97)
#97-3 (May-June 97)
#97-2 (Mar-Apr 97)
#97-1 (Jan-Feb 97)