By Richard SNYDER

Hunting once was the only outdoor sport. But hikers have surpassed the number of hunters by far. Young and old enjoy being outdoors and viewing the sights and vistas nature offers. Hiking offers many health benefits, too: cardio, balance improvement, osteoporosis prevention, blood pressure reduction and more.

But hiking is not 100% safe. Locally the Montrose Search and Rescue team is at the ready, prepared to search for lost hikers and others caught unprepared in the nearby forest. Every Saturday and Sunday an MSAR truck patrols the hills, available for any emergency.

But most SAR teams never seem to have enough members. Between 130 and 160 call-outs occur in the local area yearly – that’s approximately one every two or three days. So identifying and training more team members is an ongoing task.

On Sunday MSAR held tryouts at Deukmejian Wilderness Park. This was only the second time a tryout has been held. Thirty-five people showed up for the initial testing: getting timed trudging up a trail. Timed results were between 31 and 70 minutes. Applicants failed who didn’t complete the hike, got hurt or cut the trail.

But this was just the first step in a long journey to becoming a team member. Among the many things applicants must do are attending team meetings, participating in team training sessions and riding along in trucks as MSAR performs rescues. Applicants must also be licensed emergency medical technicians. These are people who provide out-of-hospital emergency medical care and transportation for critical and emergent patients.

While it was gratifying that 30-plus applicants arrived at the tryouts on Sunday, MSAR needs more. Anyone 20.5 years old and older can apply. There is no age limit.

For more information, contact Cindy England at Cengland918@gmail.com.