Some friends recently joined my wife and I for a boondocking outing in Western Washington. We staked out a nice open grassy area with room for the dogs to run and play having the whole area to ourselves. The next day we went on a hike to a nearby waterfall which lasted several hours.
As we walked back towards our RVs after our excursion we were surprised to see other vehicles in the clearing where we were camped. As we progressed closer we realized it was more than a few vehicles it was scores of vehicles, including other RVs, ATVs, trailers and command vehicles along with a small tent village that had appeared several hundred feet from our campsite. It was a beehive of activity with people scurrying about, vehicles moving and most disconcerning, generators running! Most boondockers would think to themselves, “there goes the neighborhood”. But, being a search and rescue member, I quickly realized the onslaught of new neighbors for what it was. A full scale search and rescue operation was gearing up. Walking by one of their members on the way back to our camp I inquired about their mission learning it was just a training exercise and no one was lost or injured. From experience, I knew a training mission would wind down in the evening with generators being shut down and members getting some sleep to resume training the next morning. They ended up being very quiet neighbors and enjoyed our dogs stopping by for a visit or two.
Being over run in the boondocks by local search and rescue, just another adventure in RVing!
Note: Search & Rescue members serve at their own time and expense. The life they save may be yours! To learn more about search and rescue divisions in Washington State click here.
Dave Helgeson’s many roles in the RV industry started before he even had a driver’s license. His grandparents and father owned an RV dealership before the term “RV” had been coined, and Dave played a pivotal role in nearly every position of an RV dealership. He and his wife Cheri launched their own RV dealership in the Pacific Northwest. The duo also spent 29 years overseeing regional RV shows. Dave has also served as President of a local chapter of the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA), worked on the board of advisors for the RV Technician Program of a local technical college, and served as a board member of the Manufactured Home and RV Association. Dave’s reputation earned him the title of “The foremost expert on boondocking,” bestowed by RV industry icon, the late Gary Bunzer (The RV Doctor). When he’s not out boondocking, you’ll find Dave in the spotlight at RV shows across the country, giving seminars about all things RVing. He and Cheri currently roam in their fifth travel trailer, with Dave doing all the service, repair and modifications to his own unit.
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