Boy Scout, the real deal

“As I have stated before, my brother planned the trip and spent most of the weekend at the site. He had a prior business trip planned so he left Saturday. There were 3 other adults left to provide supervision for 8 boys.Michael missed his friends and wandered off Saturday. Whether he was hoping to go home is really unknown as the only people to talk to him are his parents and some of the search team.

Anyway he went up the mountain and realized when he was lost he knew he was in a "mess". Davis told me he has a map of the presumed route that Michael walked. He was thought to never have been more than a mile from the camp but one needs to remember that a mile on the side of a mountain can be a difficult hike. ALso this is a 12 yo BOY, LOST and SCARED; without the knowledge or calmness at his age reasoning the problem to a solution

There is nothing sinister or hidden about this incident. There are many statements in ths thread not based on first hand knowledge. No one knows my brother, the other leaders, or the scouts. To make bold statements about what happened, the boys and adults knowledge of outdoor skills, the childs family life, etc are unwarranted. Plain and simple this boy wandered off and got lost. How many others on this board have experience with a child on any kind of trip who was unhappy? It occurs all the time. The parents, or any others shouldn't be responsible for the costs of this search. If so, then persons should be forced to pay costs of rescues associated with MVA, ATV, boating, hunting, fishing, etc, etc, ad nauseum accidents. A few years ago and adult was lost in Joyce Kilmer; his remains were found later. Apparently he wandered off the trail.

When I take my 10 yo son hiking I watch him constantly, but there are times he gets a little far from camp, he's a boy. Kids do not realize the consequences of their actions, many are to busy thinking, wandering up a hill, going down a creek, etc.

In closing everyone think about their presumptions and if they have been in a similiar situation. Be grateful this child was found Tuesday and not in the fall by 2 hunters who tracked a trail of clothing and bones.”

“Um edoc...as a somewhat self taught expert on Getting Found (which entails the obvious primary requirement of Getting Lost) I know what you mean.

Scouting has some policies that are designed to limit this. But as with everything STUFF HAPPENS. We actually had a case where a kid ran off and HID to "Show us". When we found him we called his parents they came 4 hours and picked him up.

We will be able to monday morning quarterback this for months. But it gets down to what you said, THANK GOD he is alive.”

“I'm so glad there was a happy ending. As a mother of two boys, I know how easy it can be to lose them on a trail.

I bet this kid never wanders off alone by himself again.”

“edoc... my apologies.. I ask your forgiveness.”

“The real deal is that rules were broken. Both by the young boy and also the scout leaders. Which set up the chain of events. It had a good ending, amazing as it is.”

“I just wouldn't have to patience to take a large group of kids out in the woods. Taking three at a time over the past couple years was taxing to me, but I made sure they each had a whistle and understood that if they got lost, they should stay in one spot and blow three times every couple minutes.

I never hike without a whistle on my person...not on the pack...not in the pack...but around my neck. The minute someone gets lost (child or someone with no sense of reading a topo map), I believe they should stop and use the whistle.

I am not condemning, by no means do I have the experience or know how to lead a group of scouts, but I do have experience in taking a teenage boy and two sub teen girls (and one adult that was just learning to read a map) camping. You can bet your ass they all knew the whistle rule before we got out of the van.”

“I have a nice cheap whistle/compass combo I keep in my pocket at all times when in the backcountry.”

“Best buck you will ever spend.”

“Good idea with the kids. Will keep that one in mind. The one time I used a whistle, I was trying to get someone's attention in a desert setting. They were probably a mile away as the crow flies and I could see them, but the wind was blowing, so there wasn't a hope in hell of them hearing it. They do have their limitations but I think in a forested setting, carry sound much better.”

“Thanks for the info!

As a Boy Scout myself and adult Scouter later, I hope people don't take the fun out of scouting by overreacting to the situation. There is always room for improving training, policies, and procedures, but if you go to far to avoid all risk, you take the fun out of it.

Reminds me of a father-son campout when my son had just joined cub scouts. I was away from camp and I found one of the boys crying and holding his arm. He told me he fell off a rock and hurt his arm. I asked him to show me the rock...the kid must have fallen 12 feet, but thankfully onto soft ground covered with leaves. Thank God kids bounce!!!”

“Kids do wonder off, for all kinds of reasons.

When I was 14, I took a week long junior leadership training course with the scouts. On the last night, the instructors left us alone to show off the skills we'd learned all week. One kid decided to hike up to the top of the mountain in the dark, through rattlesnake and copperhead territory, to sleep solo. Me and two other kids took off down the hill toward civilization, in search of girls. We made it to an ice cream stand on the highway about 5 miles from camp where a ranger spotted us. The kid on the mountain returned the next morning unharmed. We almost didn't graduate, but they let us slide.

Boys will be boys.”

“Moral of V's story:
Girls and ice cream are more dangerous than snakes.”

“I bet this kid never wanders off alone by himself again.

That would be sad if this were the case. Some of my most enjoyable trips were when I wandered off alone...

For me this is all about making mistakes...

Young men make mistakes. Lots of them. You are never going to eliminate this. It's how we learn. It's inherent in growing up.

Scouting is supposed to provide an environment where young men can make mistakes and learn from them without paying the steep penalty life so often extracts from us.

For me the question I always ask myself is, "Was this mistake preventable?" If you don't ask this question and answer it honestly how can you ever improve?”

“Well spoken edoc.”

“Took me a little while to catch up.

“I spoke with my brother twice today. He is an Asst scoutmaster and planned the trip. Michael wasn't feeling well so he stayed in camp (... child had ADHD, was restless and wandered away. Doughton Park and the adjacent game land are >12000 acres, ... this is a 12yo boy, alone, and lost. People can get turned around and wander in circles... Questions.. ”

There is absolutely no feeling like suddenly realizing that you are LOST as a goose. Fortunately it never happened to me when I /was/ 12 years old.. or even 18..

Your head races, and you find yourself in a hurry to get /ANYWHERE/. The feelings you have to overcome are immense.

(In the last few years -- I've "gotten lost" several times, but most times somewhat on purpose.)

It never gets any better, only more familiar.
last edited: 3/22/07 5:11:15 PM”

“McGRADY, North Carolina (CNN) -- A 12-year-old Boy Scout missing for four days in North Carolina's wilderness wandered away from his campsite because he was homesick and planned to hitchhike home, the boy's father said Tuesday.

So its like he sneaked off, or ran away,”