It's very important to keep in mind that the way the media depicts situations is quite often, at best, barely serviceable because they are not writing from the standpoint of understanding what goes on in the back country. At worst, they can be grossly inaccurate and on occasion tremendously sensationalist.

I'm not a SAR member, but some of my closest friends are and what I can summarize is that SAR teams do the best they can with what they are presented with. Sometimes it is unfortunate that you must address the lowest common denominator in an urban population base, because there are so many people adapting to the hiking world on a daily basis. The media is a means to an end on that score because they do play to a large audience but they do not always present information ideally.

As an aside, though I try not to judge folks, I see all kinds of unpreparedness in the mountains and on countless occasions I have quietly assisted people whom I'm convinced might otherwise have killed themselves without my help. I'm sure some people in similar situations might not necessarily agree but I believe in a quiet version of such mentorship simply because I was once inexperienced too.

Also, thanks to all of you people who answer the call of anyone in trouble out there!