Lost Child in Dolly Sods

“I have been to Dolly Sods many times and I know how that the canopy is very dense, so I understand that finding a person visually by air would be very difficult. But would the canopy matter if they were looking for heat? I have no idea.
last edited: 10/18/07 7:47:51 AM”

“I know what you are saying GD. You see it all the time when cops are chasing the bad guys at night. This bright white ghost running through the trees. maybe you have to be close to close to tell the difference between a bear or deer and a small adult.”

“Man, I wish I could go help. I sprained my ankle a couple of weeks ago and I really don't think I am up to hiking rough terrain. They would probably end up rescuing me at some point!”

“I had my golite out last night thinking about going, and if my wife had shown a spark that I should go I would have left. But then I talked myself out of it ... I am just one person, what could I do after driving 9 hours. Then I have my own family to take care of. I feel so strongly about this poor kid, I keep seeing Jason's face over his in the pictures. he is such a big explorer, always on the move. I can easily see that happening to us.

I wish I had the balls to have left tuesday when I first read about it”

“Don't beat yourself up, bro. Your first obligation is to YOUR family.

If I could tear away from work, I would go. But, like you and a lot of other people, I have to prioritize.”

“Hyway, if my kids were still at home, I would probably choose not to go either. Family comes first.

According to this article, the state is now involved in the search, so that's positive. More resources to search is a good thing. I wonder why this took so long though.

His siblings describe him as someone who likes people and probably won't shy away from others if he sees them.

http://www.times-news.com/local/local_story_291103207.html”

“I read that one. I am a little bit obsessed with this. We lost Jason for about 15 minutes one night two thanksgivings ago. My whole extended family was there. He went out a door left open by the kids running in an out. I noticed him gone in less than a minute but when I went out the door he was nowhere in sight. I looked around both sides of the house and the front of the house beside us. Then ran back inside to call out the caveralry. While everyone poured out of every door of the house I checked the back yard of the next door house and then ran down the little hill to the road about 50 feet behind the houses. He was nowhere. across the street from the houses was marshes and the intracoastal waterway. I was out there beating the paths through the marsh when finally I heard everyone yelling down the street. My niece spotted his yellow shirt crossing a small field that led to a dock that ran through the marshy forest out to open water.

That was the longest 15 minutes of my life. I think what he did was went straight out the door and behind the neighbors house. Thats whay I didn't see hime when i was checking their front yard. Then after set the alarm and checked the neighbors back yard he had passed to the front and followed the wood line down to the front road. and then off into the edge of teh marsh leading to the dock.

I can't imagine what they panic would feel like stretched over days and days.”

“someone should invent some sort of alarm sort of thing where if the kid gets so far from the base unit, an alarm/beep would emit to alert the family. Not for outings and such, but at home, like in the situation Hyway described, it would alert you immediately if he went like 100 yards or something from the base unit...hmmmm...maybe there is something like that already? Maybe the watch thing you are getting has a similar feature..
last edited: 10/18/07 9:04:42 AM”

“yeah, it's called a parent.”

“State police and National Guard helicopters are involved:

http://www.wvgazette.com/section/Breaking/000001072”

“NGB, I think that's how the house arrest bracelets work. Never having worn one I can't be sure, but thats how it was portrayed in the movie Disturbia :).”

“Easy does it, Sarge.

It's tough enough with kids who don't have difficulties.

When my oldest was about twenty months old I was home on crutches after arthro-knee surgery.
Danny and I were out in the back yard when he thought it would be fun to bolt for the front yard and street.
The panic struck me and I took a couple of swinging steps on my crutches and just did catch up to where I could take his legs out with a crutch.
I pinned his little ass down with the other crutch until I could grab him.
We lived just over the crest of a hill where I used to throw tennis balls at speeders when I got the chance.
If they stopped to complain they were in for a lecture on flying over blind hills in a neighborhood loaded with little kids.”

“You are not a parent, are you Sarge?”

“http://www.wvhighlands.org/Maps/Roaring%20Plains%2024K%20Maps.pdf

The Boar's Nest Trail can be seen in the RP southeast map in the upper left corner.

In four days this kid could be almost anywhere up there.

Dolly Sods is one thing, but the Flat Rock and Roaring Plains are something else.
They are not as well travelled as The Sods and there are some game trails there that can take a long time to take you to nowhere.

I didn't see mention of Boar's Nest Trail until today which indicates that he was not actually on The Sods, a place which many people know.

I have a lot of experience on Flat Rock and Roaring Plains and especially the Rim Trail which confounded me until about five years ago. It's along the Rim Trail that a person can get into a real maze of game trails with thick brush which does not allow bushwhacking and runs you around leading pretty much nowhere.

I feel like I could have taken off a few days ago and gone out there, but not now.
I am tied up today and into Saturday.
last edited: 10/18/07 10:00:43 AM”

“Grave Dancer--your name is on CNN! I was looking for info on the kid in Dolly Sods and the 2nd site for info was this thread with Grave Dancer's name!. I've been praying for this kid and his family--I work closely with autistic kids and talked with CTGordon, internationlly known child psychiatrist specializing in autism last night. It could have happened to anyone anywhere unless the child had on a leash. We need to understand that that is part of the stress of raising an autistic child, and give the parents all the support we can. Kudos to them for exposing him over his lifetime to many experiences in the woods. They were not new to the woods, and who knows how much good had been done for their son bcs of that.”

“What the heck! Great, I finally make the news and its not my real name which is Creek Dancer. Just my luck. Whoever said these halloween names are stupid was right!

You're right Sunny. The parents should be commended for exposing their child to the wildnerness and giving nature a chance to work her charm.”

“When my oldest was about twenty months old I was home on crutches after arthro-knee surgery.
Danny and I were out in the back yard when he thought it would be fun to bolt for the front yard and street.
The panic struck me and I took a couple of swinging steps on my crutches and just did catch up to where I could take his legs out with a crutch.
I pinned his little ass down with the other crutch until I could grab him.

LOL. Yeah, but you didn't take him on a hike!”

“Nope, I would go hiking just to get away from that little scamp.”

“(please note - you said that, not me)”

“My son is 8 yo old. Most 8 yo are expected to know not to touch a hot stove, hopefully to not run into a street, there is some knowledge of right and wrong. jason has the strength and mobility of a 6-7 year old, but he doesn't have the understanding. To him there is no difference between a road and a playground, between a stranger and a friend, between hot food and cold (until he spoons it into his mouth, and boy does he let you know he knows then), and so on.

What that means is that my wife could physically control our older kids when they were toddlers. Jason, at 8 yo, needs the same physical control that the girls needed when they were 1 or 2. She just can't do it, he has super upper body strength and can wriggle out of almost any hold. Heaven forbid he goes through a tight space that she has to go around. he could put a lot of distance between the two of them without realizing that is what he is doing. When we took him into Ruby Cave outside Gatlinburg I held him in a bear grip almost the entire time. He wanted to explore every tiny crevice.”

“hyway, does your son have speech? Able to communicate?”

“Radar shows rain moving in on the Sods/RP.

MarkO, I'm equally puzzled about the conflict of names. Roaring Plains is not the wilderness area, but I wonder whether there's not some unmarked trail that takes Boar's Nest into the lower Wilderness area.

In either case, both areas are just about the same as far as challenges. The lower wilderness area features old logging RR grades and game trails just as Roaring Plains does. In either case, it's rough ground to be lost on.

Looks to me like AP reports originate from the Intermountain in Elkins. I don't know how much they know about the Forest, but I'd bet not much.

One report I saw indicated the search was taking place in a national park. Doh!

Staging area is the game warden's cabin at Laneville. Volunteers are asked to sign up at Canaan Valley Wildlife Refuge visitor center along Route 32.”

“Dang Chuck, you have your work cut out for you!”

“I don't know the Wilderness Area(Sods) nearly as well as I know the Plains and I don't know if Boar's Nest Trail goes into the Lower Wilderness Area......don't think it does.”

““Dang Chuck, you have your work cut out for you!”
MarkOTheBeast
1:29:34 PM
10/18/07

I love the job, so I don't really call it work. But he does tire you out.

This is me in ruby cave with the temps in the low 60's I believe ...



This is jason ready to hike in at Graveyard fields. We only hiked in about a 1/4 mile :)


last edited: 10/18/07 10:59:34 AM”

“sunny, Jason doesn't speak, but he does make a lot of loud vocal noises. Hopefully one day they will turn into words.

He is able to communicate his needs in other ways. He might stand at the door if he wants to go out, or pull you toward the photo albums if he wants to look through them (he loves that) or drop a toy in your lap and hand you a battery if its time to change it (which it is quite a lot, he loves toys that light up and make noise). If he wants you to do something and you ignore him he will come over and pull your arm trying to get you up. If you still don't get up, he'll grab your foot off the audoman (sp?) and force it to the ground.”

“My dear friend Zack, now 17, had no language or communication skills at 8yo. He was uncontrollable, very large and strong and violent, even at 8. Turns out he is very intelligent, was just extremely frustrated. Somehow his mom discovered he could recognize letters, and taught him to type. He now has some speech, has tested cognitively at 17 yo, (age appropriate), is no longer violent, and is a popular member of our youth ministry. He has taught me so much. I am not the same person because of my friendship with him. 2 of my 4 kids are active in the autustic ministry at our church, and we have lifelong friendships with people from all over the Washington DC area bcs of Zack. check out www.damascus.com go to Haven ministry link.”

“.
last edited: 10/18/07 11:20:46 AM”

“Where are you in the Washington area, Sunny?

HyWay, your kids are lucky and so are you.
My kids have really made my life.

Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death.
(I stole that)”

“I'm still chuckling about your comment about taking the legs out from under your kid to keep him from getting away.”

“It was a thing of beauty!

That little sucker gave me a impish look and took off.

I just saw him a few of hours ago here.........went to lunch.”

“they found him !!!!!!!!!!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071018/ap_on_re_us/hiker_found_1”

“Great! Thanks for the post. The best possible outcome!”

“Fantastic!”

“My heart has been sinking for this poor kid.

Thank the Lord!”

“Yeah!!! so glad they found the kid!

I live in Ijamsville, MD, near Frederick. and I do love to jam!”

“Good news!”

“Just before I left work today I told my boss to schedule someone else in my place tomorrow for a meeting I was to attend because I might leave tonight to go to WV to search for the kid. I told the same things to my techs, then right after that I refreshed the yahoonews page for the umpteenth time and the story was up about him being found. I am so happy for that family that he has been found.”

“This is me in ruby cave with the temps in the low 60's I believe ...

Then why you sweating like a pig?”

“Whew, alive & well!”

“
Autistic teen who wandered off during hike found alive


Story Highlights

NEW: Spokesman: Family gathered in a prayer circle when the news broke
Jacob Allen had been missing since Sunday; said to be doing "fairly well"
Hundreds of volunteers searched for him in the Monongahela National Forest
Governor's spokeswoman: "I think the whole state's relieved"


CHARLESTON, West Virginia (AP) -- An autistic hiker lost in the wilderness for four days has been found alive and reunited with his family, a spokesman for the search effort said Thursday afternoon.

Jacob Allen, described as severely autistic, has reunited with his family.

Spokesman Chris Stadelman provided few details on Jacob Allen's condition but said the 18-year-old was found by a team of nine searchers in the Monongahela National Forest.

"The family is all together," he said. "As soon as they heard the report he was alive and doing fairly well, they gathered in a prayer circle."

The Inter-Mountain newspaper reported that Allen was taken to Davis Memorial Hospital, but a spokeswoman for the hospital declined to comment.

"I think the whole state's relieved," said Lara Ramsburg, spokeswoman for Gov. Joe Manchin, who visited the Allen family Wednesday night.

"We're all relieved for him and his family," she said.

Allen wandered away from his parents Sunday afternoon.

Hundreds of volunteers and trained professionals had been combing the woods, calling for him to come to them for candy bars, ice cream and other food.

Allen had no food or water with him, but Stadelman had said there were natural water sources in the search area, which consists of about 10 square miles of often steep and brush-covered terrain.

Overnight temperatures dropped to as low as 38 degrees on the nights Allen was missing. He was wearing hiking boots, a long-sleeved T-shirt, a wind jacket and wind pants.

”

“Yeah!”

“http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071019/ap_on_re_us/hiker_found_13

"To the best of our knowledge, he was just hungry and thirsty and fatigued," Jim Reneau, one of the nine searchers who found Jacob Allen, said at a news conference at the command post near Davis, about 90 miles south of Pittsburgh.

Allen, who wandered away from his parents while hiking Sunday, was found lying in a clearing about a mile from where his hat was found Monday.

Allen, who has the mental capacity of a 3- or 4-year-old, opened his eyes and rolled over to meet his rescuers when Reneau's son, Jeremy Reneau, called out his name.

"He was very quiet, he was nonverbal," said Jeremy Reneau, 25, the first to spot Allen. "But you could tell by his body language he was hungry."

Rescuers fed him candy bars and peanut butter sandwiches and tried to walk him out of the wooded Dolly Sods Wilderness Area, part of the Monongahela National Forest. When he became too tired, they carried him out on a litter, Reneau said.”

“WOW!!!

Tears of joy!!

I would like to know just where they found him.”

“I can only imagine how overjoyed his parents and siblings must be. Good news indeed.

Hyway, you are one special dad.”

“Excellent news,very glad to hear it....thanks for the postings.”

“http://news.yahoo.com/photo/071016/480/3b27cd0aeb3a437f870592772e781f62;_ylt=AnCoRc5XfrQ9vNTrzt.53K1H2ocA
Picture of kid.”

“good deal.. excellent news!”

“Glad they found him!”

“Thank God! What a relief.”