Tracking
Reading signs depends on appreciating the small points, the details that appear to those schooled in observation but disappear to the novice, the incautious, or the hasty.
Over the years tracking has been shown to be a very effective technique in locating lost persons. Tracking (sign cutting) is the step by step following of a person. It takes training, determination and hundreds of hours of practice to become a skilled tracker.
Campbell RIver Search and Rescue is currently developing their tracking team, with a number of our members attending regular training courses to develop their skills.
By analysing the footprints and other sign left behind, trained trackers can determine a direction of travel and even follow the track of an individual across varied terrain.
British Columbia Tracking Association
Tracking instruction for Campbell River SAR is provided by the British Columbia Tracking Association. The BCTA is a non-profit society run by SAR volunteers across the province with the express goal of teaching tracking to Ground Search and Rescue volunteers across BC.
