Dale Matson

Seeking the Lost: Stories of Search and Rescue Dale Matson

Father Dale is an Anglican Priest, a Retired Licensed Plumber and Heavy Equipment Operator and Psychologist. He resides with his wife Sharon in Fresno California and is a Priest at St. James Anglican Cathedral and the Vocations Officer for the Diocese of San Joaquin. He is an Emeritus Faculty member of Fresno Pacific University and a civilian with the Mountaineering Unit of the Fresno County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue Team. These stories of Search and Rescue are told as seen through Dale Matson's eyes as he worked with fellow volunteers and law enforcement personnel who specialized in search and rescue. Those who participate in search and rescue operations, back packers, hikers and hunters, those who are interested in the detective work of a search operation and those who have lost friends and relatives will find these accounts instructive, entertaining or possibly comforting. The book begins with an overview of the search process. The next nine chapters deal with specific searches from the call out for to the conclusion of the search. Each chapter deals with a specific issue that served as the primary causative issue. There is a vocabulary of searches which is explained as the search narrative unfolds. The stories include gear selection, navigation and the humor that can emerge in serious and sometimes dangerous conditions. Not every story describes a successful outcome but every search is treated as a learning experience.