Mounted search and rescue

[Una Smith <una.smith@att.net>]

Chuck Daniel wrote:
>Does anyone have any details on the search for Carolyn Dorn?

An Associated Press story:
http://www.abqjournal.com/news/apgila01-15-07.htm

Some local details:
http://www.gilacommunity.net/viewtopic.php?p=671&sid=8529c67bd5d62abf00fa0b9689a6d56b

This lady's family is from South Carolina but the local New Mexico
stories say she was a seasonal resident in Silver City.  Silver City,
like Santa Fe, is a funky, expensive resort destination with plenty
of tourist accomodations that are fully booked at Christmas.

Frankie Benoist is a NM SAR Field Coordinator, a volunteer qualified
to run SAR missions.  I think he may also be an Area Commander, but
I'd have to check that.  His district is down, many hours drive away
from me.  SAR management positions at the ICS level Section Chief,
Field Coordinator, and Area Commander function independently of New
Mexico's SAR teams, although most volunteers who are qualified for
these jobs are members of SAR teams.

Ms. Dorn's case is not unusual for New Mexico:  we get a lot of solo
wilderness travelers.  Spiritual seekers and others.  The climate here
is very inviting and often gentle (although not necessarily mild),
so NM SAR missions often resolve as "walk outs".

Given that Ms. Dorn was missing for so long before the search began,
the 3-day search last month probably was designated a NM SAR training
mission.  Those are missions scheduled for a weekend, calling all
SAR resources in the district.  These missions allow for extensive
pre-planning, and the fullest possible use of planning, logistics,
and operations resources.  (Short summaries of NM SAR misisons are
posted on http://www.nmesc.org/missions.htm, but this mission is not
posted yet.)

This is a happy story.  It appears she did everything right, except
she told no one where she was going.  The hikers who found her also
did everything right.

        Una Smith
        New Mexico