I guess you would call me one of those impenitent lurkers who only find time
once in a while to "put my two cents in", for what they are worth. It's not
often I have time. I feel I am doing good just finding a few moments to
read the postings, although some good ideas can be found here. 
> From: Lois Guyon
>tracking in the field. It seems to me that MSAR people can use tracking
>skills, and I wonder how may of you are trained in tracking and under what
>conditions you find this training helpful. I would like to hear about your
>tracking training, and times when you have used this skill.
In response to this: we practice weekly for several months each year with all
members of SAR on foot. We also take the time, several times during the year,
to get together and practice on horseback. This keeps us keen and also
helps new members realize it is more than just riding along looking at the ground.
In an actual search (even in training) we will not hesitate to dismount and have a
person track on foot while another rider ponies their horse, off to the side of the
tracks of course.
It is mandatory for all MSAR here to be trained in tracking here and we find this
awareness helps us the majority of the time. I wouldn't consider going out on a
search without this valuable knowledge.
Our horses have spotted people sooner than we would (as well as wildlife, including
bears) and the solace of working with our equine companion is the fact we can
throw away our compasses and GPSs (figuratively speaking of course) and the
horse will always find their way back to base camp unassisted.
What a comfort after a long day of searching!
Cheers
