Another Night Tracking Mission

[Roger Howe]

I was involved with an all night tracking mission on 07/01/10 with the Klickitat County Search & Rescue. Victim became disoriented on a trail near her camping site at Falls Creek Horse Camp in Skamania County,Wash. She was in her mid fifties in good condition wearing cotton clothing and missing overnight. The weather was heavy rain and 46 degrees in dense timber. I was directed to a trail head where she had left a large "arrow" (3 sticks) for her direction of travel (the opposite direction she needed to go). I immediately picked up a signature track in the mud. She was wearing new boots. She followed the trail for over a mile, staying on the trail and occasionally leaving an arrow (sometimes 2 sticks) or her "initials" in the dirt. I was the only tracker but had two people assist. I followed the tracks until morning where they seemed to disappear with the heavy rain. Another team came "down" the same trail towards my last known "track". We did not locate her, even doing a close-grid search. She had continued a mile or so past my location and eventually walked out on her own to a search and rescue team no worse for wear. It would have been much easier if she would have just stopped at the trail head....maybe next time!

[Umatilla Tracker]

Great job Roger,
Sounded just about like the post below yours (which is mine). Like you said, if the ladys we searched for would just have stopped walking we would have had them.
See you at Camp Cody!
Robert Cash
TK-II

[Roger Howe]

Thanks Robert! Wish you had been there to help me track.

See You at Sign-Cutter Class

Rog