Man-tracking skills for SAR personnel- A Footprint is a communication.

No 2 in a 3-part series of – Man-tracking in SAR Operations and Investigations

My advice is no matter where the case is, be it deep in the mountains, or in the pits of suburbia we enter the theatre of every investigation like a ‘Stone-Smith’ studies a block of granite, or a diamond in the rough, every potential facet examined carefully before chipping away at the hard crust, sifting through the dust, looking for the glint of value in a gem of the truth.

Eccentric, maybe, or perhaps a creative more abstract way of looking at investigations as a craft enabling the investigator to connect to the investigation as would a painter or a sculptor to a piece of art.  It is all about the depth of connection, understanding, empathy, passion and determination.

In the contemporary world of investigations, we live in the reality and expectations of rapidly developing science and technology, with artificial intelligence now zeroing in to identify an increasing number of redundancies in human engagement.  The investigations of the future will look a lot different to those of the present and certainly of the past. 

An emerging problem, in society in general and therefore in the micro sense in investigations, is the lack of the natural and learned skills of past generations, in our context, this is investigative thinking, which is, in many cases, leaving gaps in investigations.  There is instead a tendency in modern criminal investigations for police, the judiciary and the community to rely on and expect science and technology to be present in every investigation.  From the police perspective this can begin at the enquiry counter when the report is first made, no DNA, fingerprints, no hard technical or scientific (S&T) evidence, then no case to start. 

When we transfer this thinking to the field we can lose our ability to define direction, to find and interpret the signs, messages and all the communications, we need to make informed decisions.

The analysis by professional Tracker, Kyt Lyn Walken^[i] of this next case, details how and where ancient skills, honed, evolved and applied to a missing person case in the desert of New Mexico in 2021, made the difference and delivered a result, where technology could not.

How Visual Mantracking solved a White Sands National Park search

In July 2021, a missing hiker search at White Sands National Park, New Mexico, demonstrated a reality often forgotten in modern Search and Rescue operations, which is that sometimes the most important aid above all technology, is a trained human eye.

According to reports, a hiker who failed to return to his vehicle after a Fourth of July outing triggered an extensive search operation involving the National Park Service, park rangers, state police, border patrol personnel, and rescue teams. Sadly, despite all their initial search efforts, which continued throughout the night they still failed to locate the missing individual.

Then came the breakthrough.

Members of the Organ Mountain Technical Rescue Squad were called in and located the missing hiker's footprints and after following those tracks for approximately half a mile, they found the missing hiker at the end of that trackline.

Unfortunately, the subject in this case was deceased, but the discovery provides an important lesson in the value of visual mantracking and ground sign awareness during search operations.

Why White Sands is a Tracker's paradise

White Sands National Park presents a unique environment for trackers.  Unlike forests, grasslands, or rocky mountain terrain, the landscape consists largely of vast gypsum sand dunes where every footstep can leave an impression and every change in direction can create a visible record.

For an experienced tracker, sand functions almost like a natural notebook.

It records:

• Direction of travel

• Pace and stride length

• Stops and pauses and other changes in movement

• Signs of fatigue or distress

As distinct from many other terrains, which conceal human movement, White Sands often preserves it.  Here the challenge is not whether tracks exist but more in finding the correct track among countless others.

Sign-cutting

Every successful tracking operation begins with a single question:

"Where is the first confirmed footprint?"

Search teams can deploy helicopters, drones, dogs, and hundreds of personnel, but until they identify a confirmed trackline belonging to the subject, they are often searching probabilities rather than evidence.

The rescue squad's success appears to have started with locating the missing hiker's footprints. That moment transformed the operation.  This was when the search shifted from looking for a person to following a trail.

Why previous searches missed the subject

One question often arises after successful tracking recoveries:

How could rescuers miss someone who was later found by following footprints?

The answer lies in the difference between area searching and sign tracking.

Area searchers look for visual clues:

• Clothing and equipment

• Movement

• The subject themselves

Trackers look for evidence of movement.

These are fundamentally different approaches.  A search team can walk within a few hundred meters of a subject without seeing them, whereas a tracker who finds the correct trackline may be guided directly to the same location.  This is why tracking remains one of the most valuable search disciplines available.

Half a mile of evidence

In the ‘White Sands’ case the report states that rescuers tracked the footprints for approximately half a mile before locating the victim.

To non-trackers, half a mile may sound insignificant.  In reality, maintaining a confirmed human trackline for half a mile requires concentration, discipline, and continuous verification.

Every footprint must belong to the correct individual; as well as every disturbance must be interpreted correctly.

The tracker constantly asks:

• Is this still our subject?

• Has another person crossed the route?

• Has wind altered the sign?

• Is there evidence of behavioural change?

A half-mile trackline represents hundreds of individual observations connected into a coherent narrative.

White Sands offers a valuable training lesson for SAR teams worldwide.

Sand reveals information often hidden in other environments.

Trackers can observe:

• Variations in pressure

• Gait abnormalities

• Stumbles

• Stops

• Changes in direction

These clues can help search managers estimate:

• Physical condition

• Mobility

• Probability of survival

• Future direction of travel

In some cases, the trackline itself becomes more informative than witness statements.

Lessons for Search and Rescue Teams

The White Sands case highlights several critical principles.

1. Trackers should be deployed early

Ground sign deteriorates rapidly due to wind, weather, and human activity.

2. Preserve potential sign areas

Uncontrolled search traffic can destroy valuable evidence.

3. Tracking complements other search resources

Tracking should not compete with dogs, drones, or helicopters; it should work alongside them.

4. Follow evidence, not assumptions

The subject's actual route may differ dramatically from planned search sectors.

5. Every footprint matters

A single confirmed footprint could redirect an entire operation.

Case Conclusion

The 2021 White Sands search serves as a powerful reminder that despite all technological advances, footprints remain among the most reliable clues available to search teams.

When rescuers located the missing hiker's trackline, they gained something more valuable than a map coordinate; they gained evidence.

By following approximately half a mile of footprints across the sand, the Organ Mountain Technical Rescue Squad transformed uncertainty into answers.

Although the outcome was tragic, the operation demonstrates the enduring importance of visual mantracking.

Epilogue

Reiterating what Kyt has covered in her case conclusion above, I can see two clear lessons here, which she has detailed within the case study.  The first is that skilled trackers need to be sought and deployed onto a case at the very earliest, long before any contamination of the scene can occur from human or natural exposure. 

The second lesson is that searchers are generally looking for visual, physical clues, such as clothing, dropped equipment, or the subject person themselves, whereas the tracker is looking for evidence of movement, the signs of where the person has been.

I mention this as just recently I visited the point last seen for a young woman missing in Victoria, Australia many decades ago and I asked the question, “Was this location searched”, the response was, “No, well they drove vehicles through here and didn’t see her.” 

The point was that the young woman’s body was not lying out in the open, so the area was eliminated on the basis that at the time it was suspected that she had voluntarily gone somewhere else.  No known line search, let alone a tracker employed.  Years later the assumption that she was wandering or a runaway was changed to suspected homicide, but still the point last seen was believed not searched, but we are working on changing that, if nothing else to ensure that it is at least eliminated.

‘You can never recreate a search or an investigation as good as you could have at the time and place that it happened, had you applied the proper enthusiasm, resources and investigative thinking then and there.’

___________________________________________________________________________

Written and prepared by Valentine Smith APM of www.footprintsinthewilderness.com.au on 25/06/2026, based on notes and material provided by Kyt Lyn Walken, The Founder of ‘The Way of Tracking’ (European leg of Hull’s Tracking School, Virginia, U.S.)

^[i]Kyt Lyn Walken, is the founder of ‘The Way of Tracking’ (European leg of Hull’s Tracking School, Virginia, U.S.) and is among the professionals contributing to the spread of man-tracking instruction in Europe.

As a professional man-tracker and instructor specializing in the reading, interpretation, and pursuit of human sign. Over the years, Kyt has worked extensively with civilian, volunteer, and rescue organizations throughout Europe, helping introduce practical tracking methodologies into SAR environments.

Her operational and instructional experience includes volunteer work with SAR teams in the Alps and training collaborations involving:

Protezione Civile units in Italy

Secours Alpine (French Switzerland)

RED Dog (German Switzerland)

West Mercia SAR Team (U.K.)

West Cornwall SAR (U.K.)

Man-tracker Germany (Germany)

Associazione Nazionale Alpini Soccorritori

SAR teams in Slovenia

Busqueda y Rescate Murcia (Spain)

Her work has particularly emphasized the integration of man-tracking with search dogs and wilderness search operations.

Kyt has also written extensively about the operational value of tracking within search and rescue contexts, highlighting how terrain interpretation can support missing-person investigations and reduce search uncertainty.