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And with the arrival of August — the most hectic time of year — the call volume is only expected to increase as more people continue to head outdoors.

As historic snow melts, search and rescue teams are preparing their swiftwater specialists. The Utah State Search and Rescue advisory board is worried about running out of money to reimburse counties as the number of rescues have risen over the years.

Summit County Search and Rescue volunteers responded to eight calls in January, an average number for this time, but strategic challenges that arose at the start of the pandemic persist.

Courtesy of the Utah Avalanche Center The pandemic drove people to head for the hills, the popular thinking goes, a COVID-fueled exodus as people sought outdoor recreation and a safer way to get out of the house. But when that adventure turns out not to be so safe, it’s up to members of Summit County’s Search and Rescue team to respond. “There are so, so many people out there,” said Kevan Todd, the team’s vice commander. He said parked cars can stretch 2 miles from a popular lot on the Mirror Lake Highway. That would threaten to strain search-and-rescue resources even in the best of...