Outdoor Enthusiast Interview

Deb Lauman

Hi! And, hey, thanks for inviting me to do this.

Well, ummm ... in a nutshell, I'm 39 years old, married, no kids (just a dog), living with my mustached man, Steve, in Flagstaff, Arizona. I'm also an avid hiker, a writer, a Jazzerciser (it's a dance-fitness program I enjoy), a former Grand Canyon guide, a former farm caretaker ... former lots of things ... and, as of September, 2007, a Search & Rescue volunteer here in Coconino County, home of the Grand Canyon.

Gradually, as I put SAR skills to use in the field and continue to train, I'm gaining confidence and definitely seeing improvement, which always feels good. No two missions have been the same, so you never know what might be in store when the pager goes off, which happens at all hours of the day and night. I love it, though, and my husband is so supportive of my SAR "habit." I don't like to miss a mission, that's for sure.

2) Tell us about your background in hiking before becoming a rescuer. What were/are some of your favorite hiking locations?

I didn't grow up in a family that hiked, but I always enjoyed it at summer camp. Then I discovered the New Hampshire Outing Club while at college, and the backpacking bug bit big time. It was on one of those Outing Club trips to the White Mountains, where I spent many weekends and vacations over the years, that I learned of the Appalachian Trail and found out that people actually walk the entire length of it--more than 2,000 miles--sometimes in one shot, called a thru-hike. That idea stuck with me, and, a decade later, I became an A.T. thru-hiker myself, spending 178 days hiking from Georgia to Maine. After that adventure, I did some extended backpacking trips in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Wyoming, and here in Arizona.

3) What prompted you to begin search and rescue? Tell us about your first rescue.

My love of the outdoors and adventure in general were the catalysts for getting me into SAR. Yes, helping people is definitely the goal, but I admit that wasn't the primary reason I joined the team. When I'm on a mission, though, it is my primary thought, and it sure feels great when things work out well and a life is saved.

My first mission took place just after I finished Basic SAR Academy in October, 2007. My pager went off late one night, and the message from our Coordinator--a Sheriff deputy--stated that two young, ill-equipped hikers were lost and stranded on Mt. Humphreys, which is the highest peak in Arizona at 12,633 feet. Only myself and two other SAR members were able to respond that night, and my adrenline carried me up the mountain at a much faster pace than I'd normally hike.

It was a pretty straightforward mission given that we spotted a barely visible glow from the hikers' campfire, high on the mountain. We lost sight of it shortly after we began climbing, but we had a pretty good fix on their location and eventually made voice contact, which led us in to the couple. Had they not been able to start that fire, they would have been at great risk for hypothermia, but things worked out. They were unhurt and were able to hike out with us. We loaned them each a headlamp, which was part of their problem in the first place--no light source. The climb had taken them much longer than expected, especially because they weren't used to the altitude, and darkness had overtaken them. Without light, they'd lost the trail.

4) What training was necessary to join the Search and Rescue Team? What attributes or characteristics would a person need to be a good search and rescue team member?

I wrote an article about this called "Becoming a Search & Rescue Volunteer" if you're interested.

To sum up, though, each team has its own requirements for membership, but more often than not an application and background check come first. For our team, there's an interview and then, if you're accepted, you have to complete the Basic SAR Academy, which takes place over about a month's time, on evenings and weekends, including both classroom and field sessions. They've now also included a mock search for new recruits.

Some ongoing training is required, and we have a minimum amount of time we're supposed to commit to the team on a yearly basis in order to remain on active status. There's also now a fitness test for those who want to be (and remain) on the Technical team, a subset of the General SAR membership. (It's basically the same as the Wildland Fire test: 3 miles in 45 minutes with a 45-pound pack.)

Even if a team doesn't have any kind of fitness requirement, I'd say that physical fitness is a big priority, unless someone wants to contribute to the team in other ways, such as vehicle or equipment maintenance, let's say. Medical training isn't a requirement for general SAR, but some level of training--Wilderness First Aid (WFA) or Wilderness First Responder (WFR)--sure doesn't hurt. Also, knowledge of terrain navigation (map and compass, GPS, alternative nav) and tracking are pretty important, but most teams provide some sort of training for these and other skills.

5) Most of our readers are beginning ultralight backpackers, many have just begun hiking. From your search and rescue experience, what advice can you give to beginning hikers so that they won't need your services.

I hope you don't mind me mentioning another article I've written, but new hikers may want to read "24-Hour Pack: Hike Smart, Be Safe". And that's one of the main things I recommend--go prepared. Even if it's just a day-hike you're planning, it's good to be prepared for the unexpected with a minimum amount of emergency gear. Also, "never leave home without a map" is my mantra. A light source is also a must. So many times in SAR, we've been called out to help hikers who've gotten caught by darkness, who didn't have a headlamp or flashlight, and simply couldn't move. Also, having extra layers of clothing and other heat-sources is so important. As I've seen first-hand, cold is a killer.

I also suggest telling someone where you're going, leaving an itinerary for longer trips, and letting that person know when you expect to return. It's much easier for SAR to do its thing if we have some idea where to start. When a friend or family member calls in the middle of the night and says, "Mike is overdue. He went on a hike ... but I don't know where," it really complicates matters and delays a rescue.

Anyway, having proper equipment, while it's so important, doesn't mean things always work out peachy, of course. Bad things happen to even the best prepared and most experienced people. So having someone know where you're going and when you'll return is a very good thing.

6) Hikers are prone to unexpected injury because of the areas that we travel. Please touch on what gear/supplies even an ultralight backpacker should have with them at all times should they become injured and have to wait for you to rescue them.

I guess I pretty much answered that already in a general way, but I do have a list of recommended gear in that "24-Hour Pack" article, and I'm actually just about ready to launch a new business venture of mine, selling pre-equipped 24-hour packs, one version for SAR and another for recreational hikers. The backpacks and GPS units will be optional, but the rest of the kits include light sources, multi-tools, basic first aid supplies, a compass, signaling devices, lightweight emergency bivvies, and so forth. The website should be live by mid-March, if not before. Until then, if anyone is interested in getting a list of what's included in the packs and how much they run, I'd be happy to email it to them (you can contact me via e-mail at ramkitten2000@yahoo.com). People may just want to use the list of items as a guide for their own packs. The 24-hour packs are based on recommendations of the National Association for Search & Rescue (NASAR).

7) Based on your experience, what is the most common avoidable mistake hikers make that requires a rescue effort.

Hm. Most common. Well, I'd have to say lack of proper gear is a big one. Sometimes the only piece of "gear" people carry is a cellphone, which obviously doesn't always work. Lack of navigational tools (and knowledge of how to use them) is another biggee. Trails aren't always as clear-cut as they might look on the map posted at the trailhead. Too often, hikers seem to figure they don't need to bring a map if they're following a trail, and that leads to problems. I definitely recommend a USGS topo map.

Another big one is people not having enough knowledge of what they're getting into. Distance isn't always the best indicator of difficulty, so we do find on many occasions that people underestimate the time it'll take to complete a hike or other outdoor adventure, or how technical it might get.

8) Tell us about a memorable rescue.

Oh, gosh, there have been so many in just my year and a half on the team. I don't know that you'd call this one a rescue, but finding my first deceased "subject" will stick with me for a while. Young man (38), husband and father of two, very experienced hiker. And he wasn't all that far from his car. But he froze to death. He'd gone for a "short walk" without a pack at about noon on a sunny winter day, and we found him at 3am. Nearly stepped on him, actually. It looked like he'd just sunk to his knees and laid back, his arms still frozen in the air. Sorry to be graphic, but I don't think I'll ever forget that image. It's not that it bothers me per se, it's just stuck in my head. That and the moment his wife's eyes and mine met just as I set off to start the search that night.

9) You are a very busy lady. You write non-fiction short stories, have completed a novel, hike the AT and, in your spare time (pant, pant) are part of a search and rescue team. Did I miss anything? What's next. What projects do you have up your sleeve.

My husband and I now live at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, where my husband works full-time. My "job" is taking care of my disabled, widowed mom (who thankfully lives in her own home nearby), as well as running this new business I've started selling the packs. So I have a fairly flexible schedule, which allows me to respond to most of our SAR call-outs.

My plans for the near future include working on the new business, training for the SAR Technical Team beginning in May, and trying to find a publisher for another novel I wrote. (My former publisher died ... literally.) I also could really use a vacation, so Steve and I are planning some getaways, including a Colorado Trail section-hike in June and maybe a canoe trip somewhere. I always need an adventure to look forward to ... even if it means missing a few SAR missions now and then.

The big plan for sometime in the future is another thru-hike. The Pacific Crest Trail is calling.

10) Tell us where we can purchase your novel and short stories?

Okay! :) Actually, the short stories and articles are mostly available for free reading online, and there's a list with links to many of them on my Deb's Search & Rescue Stories blog as well as on my Hiking Writer website. That's also where I peddle my first published novel--the one I wrote while hiking the A.T. (though the story has nothing to do with the trail or backpacking at all). My website is http://www.hikingwriter.com.

Deb, thank you for sharing your inspirational story with us. Good luck with your new business venture. Perhaps some of my readers will say hello to you on that Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike.

Deb Lauman lives with her husband, Steve in Flagstaff, Arizona.

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