The night started off with a flurry of activity and the rumble of thunder as the TOWNies set up the room and caught up with old friends while meeting new ones. The few that braved the weather were rewarded with a double rainbow as the storms ended and the day gave way to dusk. The nights have become shorter while the days have become hotter. However, the Texas heat does not deter the TOWNies from enjoying the great outdoors. In fact, it may even encourage more watermelon and taller tales while we await the cooler weather again.
The TOWNies have gone to the dogs! We had an interesting speaker tonight, Matthew McDermott, who spoke about search and rescue and staying safe in the woods. Matt is a retired certified NASAR SART Tech II and had worked as a volunteer dog handler for 10 years with the FBI and the Austin/SanAntonio/Lakeway Police Departments. He has participated in many searches that made the news as well as many that were done under clandestine cover and never made public. He was a member of Travis County SAR, which is a non-profit and funded by volunteers.
Matt brought along his faithful dog, Ruby, who displayed her nose and belly as Matt described the features of a dog and how they use scent to find lost hikers as well as cadavers. It was a fascinating discussion as Matt spoke about the work that goes into training dogs for search and rescue.
Matt also spoke about what to do when you’re lost in the woods, with the first rule being don’t panic. He encouraged hikers to carry a large plastic bag in a pack along with a shiny object, like a CD, to use for reflecting sunlight, a brightly colored ribbon to tie to a nearby tree, and food. A whistle is also a useful tool. The universal distress signal is 3 short whistle blasts every few seconds.
If hiking solo, always let people know where you are going and when you anticipate to return. It is important to reorient oneself every 10 minutes or so. He also reminded TOWNies to look back at the trail to gather a sense of what the trail will look like when you turn back and retrace your path. (Perhaps that is true in life too: to see where you are going, turn back to see where you have been.) If lost, sit where you are, as that avoids walking in circles.
Time passed quickly tonight as Matt served as an enthusiastic speaker who brought to life the challenges that many dedicated volunteers face when searching for the missing. I had the honor of serving as a rabbit for TCSAR for many months, and it is hoped that Matt will pass onto the TCSAR group the TOWNie contact information so that TOWN Austin could serve as rabbits for large grid searches.
Until next time, stay safe, and Happy Trails,
Marsha