This note is to thank the Deschutes County Search and Rescue volunteers, three deputies and the USFS for their help in extracting my two horses from deep mud while on a ride on April 19, 2014 along the Windigo Trail, north of USFS Road 1514. My horses were stuck in mud over three feet deep – it took over 5-1/2 hours working in cold water and mud to extract them safely. The Deschutes County Search and Rescue is noted for their life-saving efforts, but they do not get nearly the credit they deserve from the public. They don’t think as individuals. They think as a team.
Their funding is limited, but their passion for rescuing people and animals from hazardous situations is tremendously rich. They don’t ask for praise, but instead, the 125 volunteers and a Sheriff’s Office coordinator attempt positive results in an average of 100 missions a year. The day after saving my horses, the Mountain Rescue unit and Horse Team of Search and Rescue were back in a training seminar. That was their weekend.