"Six Tech Team members showed up, and because there was rain in the forecast, we loaded all the gear in the back of the Suburban instead of the pickup to ensure the rope stayed dry. We were told that an ATV had gone over a cliff, but as with most rescues, the initial information is often unreliable so we weren't sure how this one would unfold.
"We finally turned toward Bear Canyon Lake on a what was initially a decent dirt road, but it deteriorated quickly. When we arrived at the scene, we found a group of Forest Service and fire hotshot personnel and the Medical Examiner vehicle.
"Below us was an approximately 15-foot-deep ravine with a wrecked ATV and the bodies of two young men in their early 20s lying near it. It's always tragic to see young lives ended much too soon, and I could only imagine the pain the families were feeling.
"We realized we could walk to the scene from the edges of the ravine, so with the help of the hotshots, we transported them up to the road. The Forest Service folks told us this was the 6th fatal ATV accident this year in the Forest Lakes area.
"With our mission complete, we headed back on the dirt road where the suburban suddenly stopped running. We ended up having to load all the gear into the pickup and left the disabled suburban with [our Coordinator and one team member], who waited for the tow truck. When we arrived back at the building, we were all stiff—not from the mission but from the five-and-a-half-hour drive.
"For us, the mission was complete. For the families of the victims, the agony of their loss was just beginning."
