Posted on 03/20/2007 8:15:14 AM PDT by Lonely NY Conservative
I remember in my younger years deciding to climb "Breakneck Ridge", which lies on the Hudson south of Newburgh, ALONE. I almost, well, broke my neck, and this was before cell phones became common among the youth. After going of the trail and sliding down a steep slope among thorns and poison ivy, I managed to make it down around 8:30 in the evening.
Remember scouts:
1. Always have a map.
2. Always have a compass.
3. Always have a flashlight.
4. Always have a buddy.
5. Never leave the trail.
and probably a loud whistle you could hang around your neck would be a good idea also
Yep. Beats a cell phone with no coverage anyday of the week. Also protects against black bears in some (though not all) situations. Grizzlies are another creature alltogether.
He didn't lose the kid.
I don't have time to read all the answers, so apologies if this was told to you, but Michael left the camp during a time when every camper and staffer had just finished eating lunch together. Those that went on the hike, in other words, RETURNED, then they all sat down together for a meal. It was at the end of it that Michael got away from the group without being noticed by the others. By the time it was known, they weren't able to find him nearby and a big search was called for.
His father says Michael told his family afterwards that he was upset that his close buddies in scouts didn't go on the campout and he felt homesick. He was determined to leave and find his way to the nearest highway to flag down (hitchhike) a ride back to his home. Father said he would have a series of long talks with Michael about NOT hitchhiking (as he said he already had done but will repeat and repeat).
Others in charge at the camp said Michael did not want to go on the hike and pled exhaustion and the need to sleep in. Now I say, if he was bummed because none of his friends were there, it makes sense he wouldn't want to go on a demanding hiking trip with what he saw as a bunch of strangers.
You are correct that rules prohibit a single scout and a scout leader from spending time alone. There was a BIG problem, though, because Michael's intransigence about not going with the others put them in a terrible bind. Were they to cancel the hike for EVERYONE?? Yes, that has to be addressed, but not because the scout leader should be under suspicion for doing something to the boy. Not from what is known so far.
I've been here since 98, and it's been standard OP for Freepers to jump right in and give their thoughts.
It makes for a good discussion, but sometimes we just have to risk getting flamed.
When the majority think something is "amiss"..it's usually the case.
sw
"what was the cost of that 3 day fiasco?, it almost cost a kid his life for something that was easily avoided)"
Not having access to the full spectrum of cable TV as you do, I need to be filled in more on ths I'm sure... but wasn't it mentioned earlier that the kid simply wandered off? And at that, couldn't find the path that lead him to that very campsite?
As an Eagle Scout, I can appreciate what you say very well. But as you pointed out- Those serious about scouting can get their hands on it. This kid seems very much NOT serious about it, which was the problem in the first place. All the technology in the world can't stop a 12 year old from doing the wrong thing once in a while.
If he had the GPS available, who's to say he would have paid enouh attention at his proposed badge workshop to properly use the GPS? Again, he couldn't even back track to a highway. A map can do that for 5 bucks.
Ah, that's right, he didn't leave until after the group had returned. Though he still had quite a lot of time alone with this adult. Odd that he waited for the group to return, if he'd decided to take off. Maybe the adult WAS keeping a very close eye on him, and then once everyone was back it didn't seem so likely that he'd leave, so he was no longer being watched so closely and grabbed the opportunity to make his run.
I get the part about breaking the "never alone with a kid" rule out of practicality -- I'm not sure how many other adults were on the trip, but perhaps not enough that leaving two behind with this kid would enable sufficient supervision of the hikers. BUT if the situation with the kid was so bad that they felt they had to break that rule, they definitely should have called the kids parents to alert them to what was going on, and try to arrange to have them come pick him up nearby. There's no indication that that happened. When it's no longer possible to supervise a kid within the rules, the very least that needs to be done is to notify the parents, and in the age of ubiquitous cell phones there's no obstacle to doing that while on a camping trip.
It does sound like this kid isn't quite all there, and that the parents and scout leaders may not have been facing up to the degree of that problem -- you just can't make things okay with a mentally disabled kid by pretending he's normal and having him participate in everything the other kids do as if he was normal. Twelve is awfully old to pull a stunt like this without some major extenuating circumstance like being molested. My gut feeling is that this kid is seriously troubled for some unknown reason, in addition to not being of quite normal intelligence.
you have a good point on this kid
I already suggested the flare kit(I offshored fished for 30 years) to friends and family but putting a flair into a kids backpack might
be a bit dangerous, I'd sure carry one, a helicopter would see it easily
signal fire next to a stream is another easy way but I believe for the first day or so he didn't want to be found
the more I hear about him the more I think he should never have been hiking with a scout troop
I heard today he heard people in the woods and ignored them because he wanted to hike home
if that's the case his backyard is as far away from home he should camp out because he has serious mental problems
it put his scouts in danger as well as the hundred or so searchers
big difference between wanting to be found and doing what you were trained to do and not caring one way or another
I've been down to Tellico quite a bit I used to camp a lot on North River. And I've ran around some up in the northern portion in an area called Max Patch just above Del Rio. To see the mountains and not near as many people Cherokee National Forest on the Tennessee side is the ideal place. I live closer to the Cumberlands my self due south of Cumberland Gap with a view of both ranges by walking up behind my house.
Yep , everything is done by God. If you believe in Him , you know He created those feet that you put the socks on. Those who do not think some fishes fins turned in feet, poor misguided souls. Like I said everything is done by GOD!
I find it very interesting that there has been no wall to wall coverage of this from the moment he was back...You make excellant points and perhaps it is as simple as a lot of adults not aware of how dangerous it can be for a child who is "not quite with it" on whatever level.
We are now sooooo politically correct that problem kids are not getting the "seperate and more intesne " coverage they need.
My speculations are probably off the mark, but the fact that the kid seems insecure, awkward, trouble making friends or getting along with other kids, etc. makes him seem to me like a classic target for an adult predator, who can seduce the lonely misunderstood kid with phony displays of understanding and friendship. I think there's really only a small chance that anything like that was going on here, but I do think there's a chance, and hope that appropriate scrutiny is underway. This seems like a kid who has trouble expressing to his dad when he REALLY doesn't want to go on a scout trip (or else dad is just exceptionally dense, or thinks he can make the boy be like the other boys by forcing him to participate in stuff like this), and that makes me worry he'd have even more trouble expressing himself if some adult was doing inappropriate things with him.
The dog that alerted on the boy's scent is a Shiloh Shepherd of which I am very proud since I own 3 of them.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.