Get to know SAR Volunteer Lizzie Watson

Lizzie at the SAR Hangar.

TCSAR: Can you tell us a little about where you grew up?
Lizzie: I grew up in Durham, NC. It’s in the middle of the state, so 2.5 hours to the beach and 2.5 hours to the mountains. A different kind of place. Packed with people and suburbia. 

TCSAR: Did you play a lot of sports as a kid?
Lizzie: I played field hockey for most of my life. I played in middle and high school and then Division 1 in college at Appalachian State in Boone, North Carolina. It was my life in college - pretty much a full time job. Boone is a lot like Jackson I think. Jackson is a grown up version of Boone… no university and everything is just bigger. Bigger mountains for sure. 

At the top of Buck Mountain.

TCSAR: Is that where you got into more traditional mountain activities and sports?
Lizzie: You know I was really married to field hockey when I was there. I snowboarded while I was there. There are actually 5 resorts right around the university - well, ice hills really. I didn’t get into climbing or rafting while I was there because our coaches didn’t want us getting into too many things and getting injured. Plus we had workouts 5 days a week. It was my life, but I loved it.

TCSAR: How did you end up in Jackson?
Lizzie: I graduated from Appalachian State and I was working at my dad’s law firm and he took me out to dinner and said “Your 23 and you can go anywhere - get the hell out of here”. And I thought, OK, where do I go? I was looking into all sorts of ideas like the Peace Corps and then a friend came home for a wedding and she said she needed a roommate in Jackson Hole. I said I’d be there in 2 months. So random really. I studied history and was planning to go to law school in Boston. I was going to come here for a winter and snowboard and then go to law school. That was 2005 and I never left. 

Lizzie guiding on the Snake River. 

TCSAR: What is your job now?
Lizzie: I’m a full time firefighter and paramedic and it’s taken a long time to get there. I worked at the Four Seasons when I first moved here. I started out bussing tables since I wasn’t good enough to wait tables. I moved into waiting tables and it was great money and benefits and I could play all day and work at night. I went though guide school with Mad River and started guiding on the river in 2007. I was still waiting tables too but I got sick of the Four Seasons and started bartending at the Moose. And then I took a WFR (Wilderness First Responder) and I got curious about medical and wanted to learn more. I did a WFR because I didn’t want to be a liability in the backcountry anymore - I wanted to be an asset. Then I took a WEMT (Wilderness EMT) with NOLS. I wanted to keep it current so I wouldn’t lose it so I started volunteering with the fire department and then I was like wait - you’ll pay me to do this? And that’s how I got there. I love the work. It’s different every day. I’m really ADD so it’s great. I never know where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing.

Lizzie skiing in the backcountry. 

TCSAR: What inspired you to apply for the SAR team?
Lizzie: I’ve been curious about it forever because with all of the backcountry activities I do, I would be nervous if I got hurt out there. Being on the team pushes me to be better at all of those activities and I really love the challenge. 

TCSAR: What have you liked best about being on the team so far?
Lizzie: The people - a whole new group of friends. There are a lot of different personalities and I’m constantly being challenged. I love pushing the limits on my comfort zone. 

TCSAR: Are there any trainings or potential rescue scenarios that scare you?
Lizzie: The biggest thing is caves. I have a little claustrophobia and we have to do some entrapment drills for the fire department as well that have really pushed my comfort level. But I just have to stop, take a deep breath, tell myself I’m fine and keep moving.

Relaxing in Costa Rica.

TCSAR: Other hobbies? 
Lizzie: I love to travel. I just went to Bali and stayed at a surf resort. I’m a beginner but it was great. I was able to start surfing some bigger waves. I always seem to go to a coastal place since I live in the mountains - Costa Rica, Nicaragua, the Maldives.

TCSAR: Is there anything about you the rest of the team doesn’t know?
Lizzie: I was on a jumprope team. It was called the Bouncing Bulldogs (laughs). It was in elementary and middle school - probably for about 5 years. We would compete and we traveled around the country and even went to the Final Four. We did double-dutch, speed competitions, and routines with 4 or 5 people. It was pretty serious (laughs again). 

Get to Know SAR Volunteer Don Watkins

Don at the TCSAR Hangar

TCSAR: Where did you grow up?
Don: I grew up in a small town in Western Pennsylvania called Johnstown. The town’s biggest claim to fame is probably the Johnstown Chiefs Hockey Team, or more recently being named the first Hockeyville USA. So I of course played hockey, and loved it, but was more drawn to the mountains and water. My family shared a lake cabin with my grandparents and aunts and uncles in Somerset, Pennsylvania. Indian Lake quickly became the place I would spend most of my free time.  If I wasn’t in school back in Johnstown or working for my father’s construction company I was usually waterskiing or wakeboarding at the lake. My parent’s liked to ski and snowboard in the winter too, so we frequented a few small ski resorts in the Laurel Highlands area. Hidden Valley Resort, a monstrous 470 vertical feet (laughs) became our go-to. We had a blast. My dad, sister and I even taught at the local ski school. Probably the best job a high schooler could ever have.

TCSAR: Tell us a little more about your family? Were the outdoors always a big part of your life?
Don: My sister and I are three years apart, but we hung out together growing up, and even went to the same college – the University of Vermont. Western Pennsylvania is a great place for all kinds of outdoor adventure, and our parents made sure we took advantage of it. Some of the most memorable times were of the fun we had at the small lake cabin at Indian Lake. My parents actually met at Indian Lake when they were younger. My mom and dad used to be regulars in local waterski shows put on for fun by the lakes waterski club. I think what influenced me most throughout my life is that my mom and dad were just great at making the most of each season. There was always something to do outside. I never was much for video games, I mean who doesn’t enjoy some Duck Hunt or Super Mario Brothers now and then, but more often than not we all found ourselves outside. 

Don in his happy place on his swallowtail somewhere on Teton Pass. Photo: Patrick Nelson

TCSAR: How did you end up in Jackson?
Don: I like to jokingly blame this one on my parents for making me love the mountains so much. In addition to growing up skiing and snowboarding, every holiday season we’d watch a classic movie called White Christmas. In that movie they talk about how gorgeous Vermont is in the winter. Fast forward to college, where I attended the University of Vermont (UVM), I then met a bunch of hooligans (some of my best friends to this day). At UVM we were involved in the ski and snowboard club and made a trip to Jackson Hole every year over our winter break. One thing led to another, and we packed up our cars after graduation and made our way to Jackson for what was supposed to be one winter. It’s your token transplant story, one year leads to another, and another, and so on. But here I am ten years later, and thanks to my mom and dad and college friends who gave me the extra courage to move, I now have experienced more than I could have ever imagined. Best of all I met my beautiful wife, Shea D’Anna Watkins, here and we’ll be celebrating our one year anniversary soon. 

TCSAR: What’s your current job? Have you always worked in that field?
Don: I’m the Director of Marketing for Convergence Investments, a real estate and private equity investment firm with offices in Jackson and Chicago, Illinois. I’ve most always been in the marketing field, but the industries have varied. I grew a lot professionally while working for a boutique public relations firm here in Jackson early on in my career. That coupled with my finance background made for a great fit at Convergence, where I’ve worked for the last five years with a great group of extremely talented and motivated individuals, who now are more friends than coworkers. 

Don, Cody and Alex at basecamp in the Wind River Range in 2008.

TCSAR: How did you get involved with Search and Rescue? What inspired you to join the team?
Don: Early on when I moved to Jackson I met two current SAR members [Alex Norton and Cody Lockhart] through a close friend, Jim Bob Schell. We went on a spring skiing and camping trip deep in the Wind River Range. On trips like that where you spend endless hours with each other you learn a lot about one another. They talked about SAR a bit on the trip and I was intrigued- I respected them for it. Over the coming years that respect grew dramatically as I saw their efforts making a difference throughout the community. In a small town like Jackson, anytime you hear of an incident skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, on the river or in the mountains, even when you don’t know the person directly, it hits home. Often times you likely know someone who is affected by the incident, or it’s something you simply do so often that you would only hope someone from SAR (or ski patrol, the park, Fire / EMS, and all the other awesome agencies that keep us safe here in our home) would be there when you need them. With all the outdoor adventure and opportunity this town gave me, I thought the least I could do was volunteer my time to help others when they need it, like so many others had. 

Don high angle training with SAR at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

TCSAR: Have you enjoyed being on the team so far?
Don: I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it, and am honored to be on the team. The talent and expertise in this volunteer organization is incredible. There are doctors; EMS and Fire professionals; nurses; mountain guides; river guides; high angle rescue experts; skiers, snowboarders and snowmobilers capable of getting most anywhere; mountain bikers, hunters and more. If it can be done in Wyoming, it’s likely someone is doing it on the team. It’s honestly intimidating, but at the same time exciting and one heck of a motivator to learn and do as much as you can.  

TCSAR: You’re one of the few snowboarders on the team. Does that create any additional challenges (or harassment from other team members!)? 
Don: Ha! Where do I begin? In all honesty, I love and invite the heckling. It’s all in good fun and only motivates me even more. Truth be told, I think the hecklers are just jealous of our comfortable footwear- you know who you are! While all the skiers are inside warming up their cold, cramped feet, we few splitboarders will still be out gettin’r done (and as one of the new guys I probably just brought on more jabs with that comment). And our pilot Nicole definitely isn’t jealous; she just thinks all of my snowboarding gear is heavy.
In all seriousness though, it definitely can make some situations interesting. That said, what it boils down to is me knowing my equipment and figuring out how to get it done. Sometimes the up and down in the mountains where multiple transitions are necessary can be tricky, but skiing on my split isn’t as bad as you’d expect. I was fortunate to grow up with a skiing background, which is great for those “skiing on the split” moments, and throughout college I had a lot of practice chasing and keeping up with my skier friends.

TCSAR: Hobbies?
Don: When I’m not outdoors I enjoy building things. More often than not I have some sort of project going on in our garage. I think my wife would really enjoy being able to park her car in there someday, but it might be a while with the lineup on my to-do list (Sorry Shea).  

Watch a video of Don and Mikey of Franco Snowshapes making Don’s coveted swallowtail board. 

TCSAR: Favorite piece of winter gear?
Don: Back to building things... When it comes to gear, my most coveted piece of equipment is my swallowtail snowboard. A local snowboard shaper and good friend of mine Mikey Franco of Franco Snowshapes, helped me build the board a few years back. I’ve always thought that your skis/snowboard are a huge part of your experience in the mountains. Being able to build a board to my style of riding from start to finish made that feeling even more real. It makes every turn that much more special, but more importantly, incredibly fun. 

TCSAR: What’s your perfect day in the mountains?
Don: That’s a great question. I think it just depends. When it comes to winter, there’s nothing like a bluebird powder day with friends riding some of your favorite terrain in safe conditions. Then there’s the relaxed skin out for a mellow ski with your dog. Or, sometimes the most fun is the random sleeper day at the resort when you only planned on coming out for a few runs but you find no lift lines and way more snow than what was forecasted on the report. 

Don with his wife Shea post wedding reception on August 1, 2015. 

Get to Know SAR Volunteer Chase Lockhart

You've likely heard of the Lockhart Cattle Company - it's been in the valley since the early 1900's. Chase Lockhart joined the TCSAR volunteer team in 2015. Here he talks about growing up in Jackson, working the family ranch, cooking and his favorite day of the year. 

Chase at the TCSAR Hangar. 

Can you tell us a little about your childhood?
I grew up in Jackson on the ranch. I live in the same house I grew up in. I worked on the ranch as a kid, but I probably made more of a mess than I helped. We snow machined and skied a lot. I don’t know how we found the time and I don’t know why my parents turned us loose with snow machines in the mountains but they did. In the summer we were usually in the hay field. I don’t really remember my summers as a kid being all that fun. I was mostly just working.

When did you decide you wanted to run your family’s ranch? Did you feel like you had a choice or were you expected to take over the operation?
I definitely had a choice. It really wasn’t meant to be long-term. My first summer back from college I was sick if being inside and I wanted an outside job and the ranch was kind of in a transition period. I started working on it, it progressed and now I’m married to to the thing. (laughs) But I love it. I mean, some days suck. Some months suck. But overall it’s a really good job. I get to do what I want and I’m pretty good at my job, which is nice. And I like what I’m doing - I like the idea of it. I like being a conservationist. I like being a part of the new food thing. I think people really need to know where their food comes from. The industrial food model is broken and people want quality.  So I think that’s cool. I wasn’t really that on board with it when I started but now I get it. 

At work on the ranch.

Where did you go to school?
I went to school at the University of Oregon for a couple of years and I finished at Montana State. 

In the pasture with his dog, Spud. 

Is that the only time you’ve lived outside the valley?
Yep. I had such a good childhood I was kind of fighting to get back here. My parents let me be pretty lawless as a kid… take horses to the mountains and go hunting by myself and other stuff there’s no way I would let my kids do. 

How did you get involved with Search and Rescue?
My brother (Cody Lockhart) has been on it for awhile. I knew they were recruiting but didn’t think too much of it. Cody, kind of right at the end when they quit taking applications, said “You should put your name in”. I was like, “OK - tell me me what to do”. It was past the deadline but he called Jess (TCSO Coordinator for TCSAR) and asked her to accept my application. And that’s pretty par for the course so I’m glad I kind of started that way and set the pace so people know -  I’m gonna be late. My brother was really involved and I look up to him and a lot of the stuff that he does with Search and Rescue. I always thought it was really cool but I didn’t really think I would get on the team. 

What do you like best about being on the SAR team?
I’ve learned a ton and I’ve got a whole new peer group which is cool. There’s no type B people on Search and Rescue. Everybody is type A and really ambitious, eager to learn, eager to train and eager to wake up in the middle of the night and go on a callout. I’m a very type A guy, so is my brother, so it was a good fit. I really like all of the new friends I’ve made - that’s pretty awesome. Guys that I never would have linked up with if it wasn’t for SAR. And I’ve always wanted to be involved in the community and give back and this is an applicable thing for me. I probably would ruin the food at the Food Cupboard but I do have skills that are useful to SAR. I grew up spending a ton of time in the mountains skiing and hiking and on horses and I feel I can find about anybody. 

A day off in the mountains.

Anything you have to do or train to do for SAR that scares you?
Umm. (pauses) No. Nope. I like it all. The caves are not awesome. I’m fine going in but can’t imagine being stuck in one. The thought of being stuck in a cave for hours and hours is terrifying. I’m not super great with the high angle stuff but I’m not scared of it. I’m just out of my element which is tough because I like knowing what I’m doing. And typically I’m fairly comfortable taking the lead in about anything but the high angle stuff is out of my depth. I just need some more time with it. 

What do you like to do when you’re not working on the ranch?
I consider myself a little bit of a renaissance man. (laughs) That’s only me that says that though… it’s self-proclaimed. So I do a little bit of everything. I like all types of water stuff, although I never get out on it enough. I bike a lot, ski a lot, I’d like to travel more. But I’ll do just about anything... hike, mountaineering - all that stuff. 

Since you raise your own beef do you like to cook much?
I did. I was a pretty good cook or maybe a kind of good cook? But I’m a single guy and I’ve been cooking for myself for 10 years and I’m about over that. It’s not that fun to cook for one person. Plus I suck at dishes. 

Spud snuggles.

You have a dog, right?
Yeah - Spud. He’s a blue heeler. He works with me all day every day and then we cuddle at night. He’s great. And he misbehaves and runs away and chases cows when he’s not supposed to. 

What do you always have in your pack in the backcountry?
I never leave without my headlamp. It’s amazing how quick it can get dark. Headlamps and a lighter. Never go anywhere without them.

Favorite food?
What kind of food? I like tacos. Yeah - tacos. That’s the answer.

What’s your perfect day?
Today is actually maybe my favorite day of the year. It’s the day I put my bulls in with the cows. I have several different groups of cows all over the valley and each group gets certain bulls so they don’t get mixed up with their mothers and their sisters. So it’s kind of fun for me to plan out what the next year is going to look like as far as calves go. I’ll have a cow there and I’ll put a bull in and I’ll be excited to see how that calf comes out in about 285 days or so.  I get to go to every different pasture where I have cows and I’ve been working on my pen of bulls for 10 years now - buying them, raising some. It’s cool to get everybody together. That’s probably my favorite day of the year.

Spring on the ranch.