High Sierra Topix

yep. have all those books.
yet, AT is spot on in her analysis.

I know it's hard to fathom that I actually read books. Tom Brown was a big influence on me; but I was already headed there.

We are trained to go track to track from the last known good track. We track across granite - looking for minute scuffs and lichen displacement.

The best place to pick up a known identifiable track is the vehicle or near it - we always approach a vehicle with great care so as not to contaminate evidence. So the priorities, if you are tracking, are to treat that area like a crime scene - random people and other searchers not track trained - DO NOT go walking up to the vehicle willy nilly. DO NOT contaminate any tracks in the vicinity of it. And once a tracker is on track, the only people that should be in his/her vicinity are the flankers who know how not to cross the track.

If you are a friend trying to find a friend before law enforcement has even been called, please keep this in mind - having YOUR shoes on hand to show to the tracker helps them rule you out.

It should go without saying that one of the most important data points is the place last seen - who dropped you off and EXACTLY where, or the location of your vehicle and a description of it, are MEGA important.

Following will be added on the "info" page of the form:


Aluminum Sole In-Prints/Photo’s


This could be another very important piece of evidence that SAR could use to find you!


- Clean the sole of you shoe, boot, and camp shoes.


- Fold up a towel, lay down a sheet of foil, step on it with your shoe/boot.


- Place your entire weight onto you foot, then peel the foil off the shoe carefully.
Make prints for all your shoes: winter, trail, camp shoes.

- Label each print with a piece of masking tape that has the brand, model, and
size written on it.

- They should be stored in a plastic container or shoe box so they are not compromised.


- Take photo's of each pair of shoes, and store with sole in-print.


- Leave a copy of the sole in-print's and shoe photo’s in your car.


Thank you AlmostThere for supplying the particulars.