Marlene

Stephen: I think you feel the way I do about Garrett. I don't know why but for some reason his story has been a very emotional one for me. Maybe I am showing my age and my frustration after years of having to challenge Scout Leaders on their ability to take boys, mostly mine, out in the mountains. Perhaps it is because I am a woman and find myself merely tolerated when I raise questions. I remember a scout master who thought I over reacted when I confronted him about a winter igloo outing where some boy snaked the tarp out from under my son when he was sleeping. My son woke up about four in the morning in a soaked bag shivering so badly he couldn't talk. The scoutmaster said it was all a joke and boys will be boys. No concern about hypothermia and how lucky he was that my son woke up. No follow-up training was done, no discipline was meted out. The same scoutmaster told all the boys to wear wool clothing on the snow outing and then showed up to pick my boy up wearing his wool pants, about knee length, over his cotton jeans. Scouting does have lots of training opportunities but you are not required to take them to go out with the boys. Perhaps each local council should rate the trails in their council area like the ski patrol rates trails or slopes or river runners rate rapids. If the scout master wants to take the troop on a high level trail he and some of his adult and junior leaders have to have the training for that level. There is nothing that 12 year old Garrett needed to learn at his level of scouting that he couldn't have learned car camping or on a basic trail. Would it do any good to require that the scoutmaster pass a basic hiking leadership and safety orientation before he can apply for a tour permit? Around here a scoutmaster can be called to lead a troop and be out with them the next weekend without ever knowing about the buddy system requirement. And what about no boy goes ahead of the front leader and no boy drops behind the rear leader? Our troop lost four boys for 24 hours because they violated that one. The fact that we have very few reported injuries and lost scouts doesn't mean it doesn't happen often. It just doesn't have such a public spotlight.

Hands on training is always best, especially with motivation. I set up a compass course for some eleven year old scouts with each scout having a different end point, which included his lunch. They paid very close attention to their readings etc. One time my son was leading his wife and me cross country to a lake that my dad named for me when I was born. It is a two mile trip with the last quarter mile being a very steep climb on a brush covered slope where you have to use the brush to pull yourself up. As we were making our way across the flats through huckleberry brush over our heads and no visual references the thought crossed my mind that I had taught my son his basic compass work and now not only was his safety dependent on his training but so was mine. We made it into the lake, which I had never seen and I was then over 50 years old. My dad thought I was never in good enough shape to make it so my son took me.

Mark, that is a great story. How did your son learn those skills? Were you also involved in teaching him as a parent? What was the impetus for him having a whistle and a bear bag? Did the troop have pack checks before the trip? As tired as your boy was, the admonition to stay where you are lost was probably a no-brainer for him. You said he never went again. With his skills and confidence I hope he continues his outdoor activities so he can pass them on to his children. Being in the outdoors not only gives us a respite from the frantic world we live in but the confidence and resourcefulness that helps us succeed in many phases of life.

That skill of looking backwards really is a neglected skill. I always try to look back and pick out a distinctive landmark in the near foreground, usually a strangely shaped tree or an exposed rock slab. Compass skills are necessary but being able to follow landmarks back to camp saves time. Sometimes we who are comfortable in the mountains don't realize how intimidating those scenes are to a new adventurer. Everything looks alike/different and young kids suddenly realize how far they are from what they know and panic enters in at some level, even when they know they are safe. One of our great rewards as leaders is to see the child's confidence and skills grow and a boy becomes a man. By the way, it works for girls too so lets not forget the girls. I have been delighted by the young women my sons have chosen to marry. Among their many attributes they all knew how to camp and hike. And my daughters went honeymoon camping. About building a fire. Great idea as long as you don't burn down the tree you are hugging.

You are so right--trained and responsible leaders read tour permits--or at least know what they say. Having just attended our districts safty training meeting I know that if I were to take some boys swimming that I would have to study and review the swimming safety standards even though I just went through them. A question for the forum users. What style or format of training left the most impression and or usable information for you? What kind of meeting have you walked away from thinking "I am really glad I attended that. I have learned something that I will use?"

I really respect the way you are not just questioning what might have happened in Garrett's case but are looking beyond that to understanding the dynamics and thinking processes of a person, especially a child, who is lost. When you start thinking like the lost person you have a much greater chance of finding them. I hope you get some really good responses from experienced people because if we understand the thinking process we can pass that information on to our boys and maybe give them some ideas on how to overcome natural but destructive tendencies. The most obvious productive behavior we want to instill is-STAY WHERE YOU ARE! Another thing that happens to a lost person is the mind games that go on that drive them to make foolish decisions. Carrying a GameBoy to occupy the mind might not be a bad idea. A kid would spend hours, maybe day, hugging a tree if he had a game to play. (Just kidding!)

Bob:Are you suggesting then that we have done all we need to do and that adding more focus to whistle signal training will not be time effective. Is there a saturation limit on education? I was hoping to raise the awareness level of our leaders and maybe someone will say "Yeah, I can see that a whistle is important and I will train my boys and leaders." Maybe that is why I have felt like I'm butting my head against a wall. I am speaking to people who already have all the training they need-they just need to impliment it.

I suggested wearing a whistle around your nect because at least it is on your body and not in your pack, but the suggestion to wear it on the write accomplishes the same purpose for the younger kids. A lanyard could also be made so that it will break easily if tightened to the strangulation point. I would like to see the whistle on the person because of a situation I know of where a boy had to go off trail to use the 'facility' He took off his fanny pack, which contained his whistle, and set it on the ground. He was hiking in Western Washington where it is very brushy and when he was re-assembling his clothing he stepped back a few steps as he was looking down at his belt to tighten it-a move we mothers see often. He stepped backwards off a small drop-off that he hadn't even seen. Luckily, he was only scratched but he was separated from his whistle. The troop leaders looked for him immediately (the chatter and horseplay of the other boys masked his yells for help) and they quickly directed him to where he could climb out. Happy ending but who would have thought....

Bob: Of course you are right in that we cannot get 100% success in any program. However, how many children now wear bike helmets as compared to 20 years ago? How many more people wear seatbelts now because of education (and fines, but that's going too far) We just had our Safety Training meeting and the use of whistles wasn't mentioned, I suppose because it wasn't part of the canned presentation. I have talked to individuals in the last few weeks and they say they never thought of the benefits of a whistle and now will have their children carry one. Specific education is helpful. As a result of my talking about this to a district leader yesterday our sponsoring organization, who is in charge of the November Roundtable, will include whistle training in their program on Hiking Safety. I read last night from a small town newspaper about the search efforts for Garrett. The article said that Garrett's father watched his son go around the lake to head back to camp. His son strayed off the trail and he had to be set straight again. Then his father watched him go into the woods. Even that wasn't a clue that this wasn't a good situation. The local news had a huge article about safety and search and rescue. The statement was made by a scout executive that if troop leaders signed a tour permit they are well aware of the requirements for safety. Who ever reads a tour permit before signing it? This outing was a big one with over 20 scouts and many leaders. What can be done to raise the awareness level of our leaders, parents and boys. Yes, we have the programs in our literature but maybe we need to have some focused training. Certainly our merit badge program/pamphlets can focus on the requirement to include a whistle in our activities. Any thoughts?...

I'm glad to see some of you talking about whistles (See my post in the Lost Scout forum) The Hug-A-Tree program is great but if the child had a whistle we would know which tree he was hugging. I would recommend doing a Google search on Survival Whistles and getting a 'pealess' whistle. A good 100 decibel whistle will cost between $2.00 and $6.00. I have carried my whistle for 50 years and finally used it when my husband and I got separated-in the same area where that boy is lost. It took us 20 minutes to get back together. Also, for small children, a search and rescue expert told our troop one time to take a piece of heavy duty aluminium foil, place it on some think folded towels, and have the child step on the foil wearing the boots he will be camping/hiking with. The imprinted aluminum foil is then kept as a reference for the child's bootprint in case he gets lost.

Given this most recent episode of having a boy scout lost and presumed dead within yards of his camp I would like to know why the Boy Scouts of America don't train and encourage all boys and men to carry whistles around their necks. I have over 25 years of scouting experience and over 50 years experience in the mountains and what seems to me a simple tool to help even the most seriously injured get help I have yet to get any major movement to adding a whistle to the ten essentials. Is my idea an unrealistic one? That scoutmaster/father violated the basic rule of the Buddy System because it all seemed so simple. What do you think they would give to be able to go back to that Friday morning and hang a whistle around that boy's neck and then send him back to camp. Searchers said they called for him for two days but he didn't answer. How long should a 12 year old be expected to be able to yell for help before his voice gives out? Why do we continually send our children out with men who do not follow the basic rules of mountain safety and do not give those children the equipment they need to save themselves. I am deadly serious about this. I would like an answer and more than that, I would like to know what it would take to make a Take A Whistle campaign go nationwide.