SAR

SAR stands for "Search and Rescue", which is sadly a very real event that I mostly likely will participate in during my career with the Park. Unfortunately, I was too busy at work this week and missed the formal training; I would really like to have attended so I would be more effective and knowledgeable of SAR procedures, come time for me to find somebody - it could be a matter of life or death, and I want to know what I'm doing! As touristy as the Park can get, it's easy to forget sometimes that this truly is a rugged, unforgiving and sometimes dangerous place - and people to do get lost, hurt, or worse.

Yesterday, I was supposed to meet my friend Mark on the west side for trivia night and to watch Ghost Hunters, but he got called out on a SAR to look for a man who had been missing since Sunday - his van had been parked at the Colorado River Trailhead on the west side for a number of days and he missed his flight home. It doesn't take training for what they need to do right now - hike, hike, and hike until they find this guy. Needless to say, at this point it doesn't look good. They were out until after 9 pm last night, and they headed out again early this morning. As of right now, he hasn't texted to say that they have found him. I guess when the ranger Jeff Christiansen had gone missing, the Park essentially shut down for 2 weeks and every able individual hiked all day, every day, trying to find him. Tragic but very real. A sheep researcher had fallen off a cliff  in 2003 when I worked here before, right after I met him. Good luck to the SAR teams. I might try to get involved with SAR when I am more settled; there are many great organizations around here.

I am going to head down to Fort Collins today and try to get my Colorado license! And by the way, car insurance is less than HALF what I was paying in Michigan! Which is important because as of right now, I am insuring two cars and a motorcycle. :) No luck in finding the right place to live, though. I had stopped to look at a cute little cabin outside of Lyons, and it seemed promising... except it was wayyyyy to close to the other houses around it, all which were owned by the landlord (an old lady) and her adult kids... and she started telling me how much she cries every day since her husband and son recently passed away. Very nice lady, but not quiet private enough. She did say she thought I was the answer to her prayers because she was worried about who to have rent the cabin. Hear that mom, somebody said I was the answer to their prayers! That lady just doesn't know any better. :)

Me overlooking Estes Park with Longs Peak and the Rocky Mountains in the background. (Taken by Joe)