TAHOMA, Calif. – The Tahoe Nordic Search & Rescue Team safely recovered a hiker and his dog near Barker Pass the day after Thanksgiving, on Nov. 28.

The hiker contacted the team after dark, expressing he was lost. He reported that the map showed the trail was a loop, but couldn’t find the trail going back downhill and kept walking uphill.

He told the team that he saw bear tracks and took shelter in a bathroom structure.

The rescue team was able to communicate with the hiker the entire time as they drove two snowcats filled with rescue skiers to the location.

The team reports they brought everyone down, out of cold and dark safely, including the hiker’s dog, Roxy.

Tahoe Nordic Search & Rescue is based in the Truckee-North Lake Tahoe area and was established in 1976. The non-profit is made up of all volunteer EMTs, emergency room doctors and nurses, firefighters, ski patrollers, paramedics, and experienced backcountry skiers and snowmobilers.

With 454 searches and counting, the organization provides a critical service in the backcountry, aiding local sheriff departments and other agencies to conduct emergency search and rescue operations.

In addition to rescues, the organization also promotes winter and backcountry safety with education and resources, including a Winter Awareness Guide.

Here are few tips they offer for staying safe:

• Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return.
• Travel with a trusted partner. If you get separated from your group, stay put.
• Read the weather and avalanche forecast before you go.
• Carry emergency supplies, like a whistle, emergency blanket, spare warm clothes, headlamp, extra water and food, cell phone, map and compass, and emergency locator device. 
• Carry avalanche safety gear—beacon, shovel, probe—and know how to use it.
• Carry a stocked first aid kit and take a wilderness first aid course to learn how to treat common injuries. 
• Layer appropriately for the weather conditions and bring spare layers.