Superior Search & Rescue

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Human Tracking Training

We were thrilled to host Greenside Training LLC for an entire weekend of man tracking August 20 and 21! Weaponize the Senses was a great class for the team and helped us become better trackers. After the end of training on Day 2, the team was deployed by the Michigan State Police for a real world incident in Duncan Township where we able to put the skills immediately to use.

We started Day 1 with talking about humanity's deep connection with tracking, and then proceeded to head out to the nail trail where we needed to locate 8 wood nails that corresponded to footsteps. Then we explored the Spoor Pit and dissected a footstep. And then ended Day 1 with a tracking drill where team members walked in a straight line and had to identify every foot step.

Day 2 started early in the morning at 0600 with Low-Light Tracking along with proper recording and documentation of a footstep in the Elephant Drill. Then proceeded to split into two teams to track each other. After a short rest our instructor put all the skills we learned to the test in a tracking exercise to search for him. The team successfully tracked and located our instructor.

Thank you to Freddy Osuna with Greenside Training for coming to the UP and helping make our team better. Thank you also to Lake Linden-Hubbell School district for allowing us to use the school forest. Also participating in this training was a deputy with Houghton County Sheriff's Office, MI and a member of the Baraga County Search and Rescue.

Thanks again Freddy and we hope to see you again in the future for more tracking training.