Been thinking about the experiences that I have over the years a bit more. I thought that for some that I should expand on them a bit more. More than fifteen years ago, before GPS units were widely available at an affordable price, I had an experience that made me look at evac, situations a bit differently, IMHO, than most. It rolls nicely into the premise of their ownership in a "wilderness" setting; and it is the reason that I knew that having those folks go for help on the Seagull/Alpine endeavor would/could mean having the injured party lay until the next morning. :o The experience that I am reflecting on was a complicated one to say the least. Going to try and keep it as simple as I can and simply stick to the facts.

1. We dealt with state lines.
2. We dealt with county lines-multiple sheriff offices and jurisdiction issues between the Feds and Locals.
3. USGS maps that were not accurate-coordinate issue between 7.5 minute and 15 minute maps.
4.Major turn over in the helicopter pilots that fly the helitech crews.
5.The search and rescue folks did not have GPS so they had a hard time figuring out where we were...we knew but they were unfamiliar with the area due to turn over of pilots and employees.

Not trying to paint a bad picture of the professionals at all. Just sharing the facts so that your wits can remain in a good place when running through the possibilities in the trip planning. ;)