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June 22, 2005
Lost Boy Scout found in Utah wilderness
Recently, a young Boy Scout about 12 years old went missing in the mountains west of Utah. Brennan Hawkins was last seen struggling to remove his climbing gear near a climbing wall about 200 yards from the family's campsite.
Thousands of people searched day and night on horses, all-terrain vehicles, and helicopters with infared sensors. The boy was found after spending 4 days alone, lost in the wilderness. After downing bottles of water and eating all the granola bars carried by a group of volunteer searchers, the boy asked to play a video game on one rescuer's cell phone.
So, he's a whiz with a cell-phone video game, but not so good at walking 200 yards back to camp. Hmmmm. Well, obviously the kid was traumatized, and I'm glad that he lived through the ordeal. Darwin gave him a pass on this go-round. But he made some critical mistakes, and, as a Boy Scout, he should have known better. If you think you know what he did wrong, take this Peenie Wallie Survival Test.
Please make sure that you tell your young children that, if they get lost, sit down, calm down, and stay put. These are basic survival skills. Running around the woods in a panic is what gets people killed. I took a Wilderness Survival course from Papa Bear Whitmore in Colorado. Seeing this kid on the news, made me remember the stories Papa Bear told us about grown men, lost in the mountains, that panicked and died miserable deaths.
You won’t see anyone lamenting Brennan's mistakes on the news. They’re just a bunch of talking heads trying to entertain us. They don’t know what to do outdoors. They’re just glad he’s home, as am I. But Brennan made some critical mistakes. Someone needs to talk to his Boy Scout Troop Leader and ask him what he’s teaching these kids.
If you want to know what to do when you find yourself lost, follow this advice. If you want your kids to grow up, you might want to tell them also.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on June 22, 2005 at 4:54 PM
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