| It's fitting that the Ouray Mountain Rescue Team got called out around 6 p.m. last Saturday Just a half hour later the team, including crew members who have served throughout the years, people they rescued, families and friends, was set to meet for OMRT's 50 year reunion.
In covering the celebration, I got a hint of why the organization has lasted 50 years- and the lessons we can learn from them.
Interviewing this group was almost difficult in a good way. Few wanted to talk about their own accomplishments and contributions. Most, if prompted, would say "well yeah, I did help with this and I was here for that, but here's who you really need to talk to." It's obvious this is a team, and one that cares more about getting the job done than who gets the credit for it. Pretty awesome- especially when lives depend on it. I always say meeting people in the community is the best part of this job. Hearing stories from the founders of the OMRT, which started informally as a group of local guys the sheriff called if anyone went missing beyond the reach of an officer untrained in the mountains, reminds me why I enjoy it so much.
These volunteers aren't paid, but they're highly skilled and trained. Some members even told me they backed off the active team when new people came to town with sharper mountain skills, a move I really respected. It takes a lot to step down from something to make way for someone else, but doing though made sure the most skilled rescuers are always the ones on the mountain when a call comes in.
Luckily, the overdue hiker the team was called in to search for on Saturday turned up shortly after the report came in, and the beer was flowing on time. But, when you're in the mountains, it's good to know there's people like this around. Even though we all should plan and prepare so we never need them.
Cheers,
Kylea from the newsroom
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