A number of years ago, before we left the Pacific Northwest, I got a text that a buddy’s friend had gone missing in the Cascades and they were looking for volunteers to search for him.
The missing person was a loose acquaintance, and the concern was that he was in a bad place mentally and might have gone to the woods with intentions of self-harm. The text came in the morning after I had gone out for a soggy 5k run. The team was gathering at a ranger station about 50 minutes away.
I grabbed my trail shoes, some cold weather clothes, and threw a handful of snacks in a backpack. What do you bring for something like this? How long would you be gone? I’d never been asked to help out for this type of thing before. I made a thermos of hot tea thinking that might be nice to have along just in case.
When I got to the meeting place it was a scene fraught w/ chaotic planning. No one knew which way he might have set off. Some friends spread out searching along a small stream.
Another group had headed out earlier up the mountain, on a trail leading to higher elevation.
It was late Fall and we couldn’t count on the low-angle sun in the mountain valleys. The rain was forecasted to turn to flakes shortly, especially higher up.
All of sudden there was commotion on a radio. He was found not far from the impromptu base! Cold, wet and tired from a night outdoors, but at least he was safe and with loved ones.
With him safe, thought turned to the search party.
How could we communicate that the search was over and they could return? They didn’t have a radio and there was no cell service. They were committed friends and the sense was they would keep ascending until they found him, or ran into danger. Would someone be able to run up to them to let them know they could return?
Since I was the last one there and with the freshest set of eyes, I volunteered for the task. They loaded me up with another thermos of tea and pointed me up the trail. I set off.
Running alone on a foreign trail without a sense of how long you’ll be gone is a mind warp. I was hyper aware of not rolling an ankle or otherwise adding to the chaos of the day. I was nervous that the 5k earlier in the morning had sapped my reserves. Regardless of the worries, I remember thinking, “man, this is a pretty trail, I need to come back to hike it.”
About 45 minutes into the run, I came upon a group of three guys. “Are you guys the ones searching for X?”
“We are. Who are you?”
I shared a thermos, explained the situation, and let them know they could head back. All was good. Never caught their names – I was too hyped with nerves. I bounded back to the base of operations and conveyed that the searchers would be back shortly.
It’s was an intense, emotion-filled day. Years later I ran into one of the searchers who said I surprised them like a wood elf or a trail angel, yielding warm goodies.
One clear takeaway was that you never know when your fitness will be useful.
Train for yourself. Train for your community. Train so that you have capacity to lend a hand when others are in need.
💚🤍🖤