In the interview with one of the rescuers, he stated he gathered information from people that knew GS. Knew his hunting areas, his comfort areas. Awesome thinking! He emphasized he wasn't a SAR, tracker, but had worked in EMS years ago. His country instincts and those of his friends are what helped find her. They knew the area, had looked near GS's home for 2 days, didn't see anything, headed to where GS grew up for 2 days, but again, the people there hadn't seen him in years, and nothing caught their attention, then they went to the Clinch Mtn area, and had previously searched where she was found, kept saying they were so near but didn't see any tracks, no grass pushed down, etc. He stated he felt the ground was dry when GS went in, thus no tracks, but after talking and brain storming with his friends, they all felt the area needed to be checked again, and WOOHOO they found them!!!!
Now to back up on the 'need a 4 wheeler' to get there talk. Being from the country, it's a phrase that's used frequently, but doesn't necessarily mean it can't be accessible any other way, only that it's not on a paved, or graveled road that just any car could pass on. Some people's driveways are rocks and mud, not graveled in the sense most people of a well graveled, maintained road. I have a friend that lives on such a road, and am always telling her to send the tractor out to get me because try as I might, I can't avoid all the potholes and HUGE rocks on her driveway. Never fails I scrapped the bottom of my van driving up it. YET it IS accessible by vehicles, and she drives a car! So, don't take that phrase as literal as it sounds. It just means it wouldn't be an easy ride on a smooth surface.
YES driving across a pasture can be done with a car. However, most would call that a job for a truck or 4 wd. YET< again, I drive my van through many pastures! (Yes it's a normal van, however, I call it the cat mobile because it's primarily used to carry all my traps and equipment for TNR of ferals. So there's plenty of places that I trap that I either have to walk my traps to, or a 4wd type situation. Yet my van, and I go!)
Driving through a field with tall grass, typically it will cause a track as it pushes the grass down. Right now, with the rain we have been getting, most of the grass is green, springy, and will pop back up! HOWEVER, if you drove through a field like that while the ground is wet, it's going to cause a track in the ground, and push the plants into the ground, and leave a more visible track, a track that may last until that field is cut!
lease:
