32 Trial Lawyer • Spring 2022 Search and Rescue Continued from p 31 anyone outside of my office or home. I am impressed by these people who do a tough job and do it with respect and professionalism. They put themselves at risk in what is most often a thankless job. As a member of SAR, I get to work closely with law enforcement friends and associates. Our conversations can delve into what I do and why it is important to me. These are opportunities for us to talk to someone “from the other side.” Such opportunities seem to be rare in these polarizing times. I particularly enjoy the lawyer jokes and the ribbing I take for doing what I do. The territory Jackson County SAR covers Southern Oregon and Northern California. I regularly get called out to Crater Lake, Mt. McLoughlin, Mt. Shasta and Mt. Ashland. SAR missions take us deep into the forests, out onto the rivers and up onto snowy mountain peaks. We are one of the largest SAR organizations in Oregon and Northern California. As a well-funded, well-trained organization, we are able to offer aid to neighboring counties and send our special teams to situations that require a higher level of proficiency, specialized equipment and top fitness. It is my work with the hiking team that brought me to Douglas County that day in May. After my contemplative lunch break, our team of five climbs a steep hillside through a forest. The top of the hill is a narrow, exposed ridge. There is no direction to go but up. The climbing is exhausting. I am panting, carefully planting one foot in front of the other, plodding higher, grabbing at roots, slipping on loose rock. Every time there is a flat area, I punch in the coordinates on my GPS device. We are keeping track of places where the helicopter could possibly pick us up in case we do not make it to the planned landing zone. We stop climbing for
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