One of the things we love about being in wild places is immediacy. Nature takes an unexpected turn, and we rely on our knowledge and training and reflexes to deal with it appropriately. Today, however, technology offers a "get out of trouble free" card—devices that make helicopter rescue only the punch of a button away. We asked Sierra contributor Molly Loomis—who is a member of the Grand Teton National Park Search & Rescue team—to explore changing attitudes toward risk (see "The Danger of a Life-Saving Device"). 

On April 10, after she had finished writing the story, an emergency beacon on a single-engine Cessna sent out terrible news: The plane had crashed, killing Idaho ranch owner John Short and Loomis's husband, Andy Tyson, as well as AJ Linnell and Russell Cheney, Tyson's employees. The three had been evaluating Short's ranch for its solar and hydroelectric power potential. High winds in the area may have led to the crash, and they prevented search-and-rescue personnel from reaching the site until the next morning.

Sierra readers will recall Tyson from Loomis's "What's a Few Hundred Feet?", about their first ascent of Myanmar's Gamlang Razi, one of Southeast Asia's highest peaks. Tyson was a well-known climbing guide and expedition leader; his death has left a huge hole in the Teton climbing community. "Please love on your sweetie extra hard tonight," wrote Loomis, as she told their friends the sad news. "Tell them all what they mean to you, and if you can, sit under the skies and relish the beauty of this world." 

We'd like to dedicate this issue of Sierra to Tyson's memory.