Dozens of Searchers Look for 13-Year-Old Boy Scout Who Fell Into River at Yellowstone Nat'l Park

COX.Net AP Story ^ | June 25, 2005 | unattributed

[MMcC]

Cell phones? Is this part of being a Boy Scout, hiking without a cell phone in the group?

I hope so. I can't imagine going on an overnight hike and someone bringing a cell phone. Maybe the times have just completely passed me by.

[possumdawg]

I bet. My Scout master was an ex Marine and he was hard on us. I still remember doing push ups when I was being lazy. I miss Sarge. Scouting has changed since I was a boy..Today the parents baby the boys-IMHO.

[SandRat]

Yep and that's how Dan Blather got caught and that Brit Twit on the Downing street memos that he typed and weren't the "originals" that he destroyed.

[SandRat]

I see you've been there either as an adult or a youth.

[nw_arizona_granny]

A lost child in need of prayers.

[jonascord]

You've spent too much time on concrete. There is a lot of non-concrete along the Yellowstone, and it's a long way to a cellphone relay tower, like maybe forty miles. On top of which, the Yellowstone is ice-cold snowmelt, with plenty of falls and rapids.

[UPcrawfish]

Having not been to Yellowstone yet, I can only assume that there are not many, if any, cell towers inside the park to provide service to the more remote areas. Another reader can provide input here.

If the Scouts were wilderness hiking/camping - the cell without a tower is needless weight and no way to charge the batts. It would not have been a priority item to pack in. Water or food would be more usefull.

There are a lot of unanswered questions which we will all have to wait for.

[MozartLover]

"I often silently thanked those men as I cruised through USMC Boot Camp in 1966."

My son said something similar re: his boot camp experience........his scout training came in handy, esp. during field training exercises.

[tomkat]

Gratefully, as a yoof.
Our leaders were big fans of weekends/weeks in the woods, which led to a ton of those patches.

Scouting was one of the best things I was ever part of.

[SandRat]

And why not now? There's a Carpentry Merit Badge and a Woodcarving Merit Badge I'm sure the District and Council you're in needs Merit Badge Counselors. Every spring and every fall every council I know of needs help to do camp repairs from adults with serious carpentry skills. Come back and enjoy the fun again.

[tomkat]

Not a bad idea, actually.
Thanks SR ...

[SandRat]

My own son is out of college and married and I have no other sons save the roughly 1,500 sons that I serve working at District level planning and carrying out various age appropriate camping and outdoor events.

Yes he knows he has to go back as well. He's submitting the forms to be an aviation and rocketry merit badge counselor in the district where he lives.

[katykelly]

We go to Yellowstone the first week of Sept. every year. Cellphone never works.

It sounnds like you know 40 miles in the park can take hours. People (FReepers) that have never been there don't know any better.

[Think free or die]

Our boys (and my husband) are very involved in our local Cub and Boy Scout organizations. It's still a tremendous experience for them, and they can always use help with merit badges and service projects. One of the oldest Boy Scout camps in the US, Treasure Island Scout Camp in PA/NJ, sustained massive flood damage this spring. I imagine they could use help, as could many other facilities. The loss of United Way funding has made it very difficult for some of the councils to keep up with camp maintenance. It's a great way to give something back to the organization that you enjoyed in your younger years. There are a lot of fine youngsters in these troops who would appreciate your involvement.

[tomkat]

Thank you both.

I'm northcentral so would prolly start w/inquiries to Karoondinha, where I did my summers.

[Myrddin]

I was at Yellowstone on Friday. I have a digital picture of the helicopter approaching the landing pad and one of it sitting on the ground. My wife and I head some sirens as we walked from Old Faithful to Morning Glory. The helicopter arrived just as we returned to the parking lot. We didn't have any information about what happened at the time.

[Myrddin]

It depends on which cellular carrier. In Yellowstone, my Verizon CDMA phone doesn't work in most of the park. I saw other visitors using phones without a problem around the general store at Old Faithful. In general, coverage inside the park is poor.

[Myrddin]

The picture of the helicopter was taken at 4:14 PM MDT on 06/24/2005.

[_Jim]

No cell service

I guess amateur radio wasn't part of anyone's 'skill set' either; MANY'S the time that was all there was in terms of mobile service, and still remains so in parts of the outback - coverage from mountain top Two Meter repeaters is an excellent way to 'pass traffic'/messages in dire emergencies ...

[Myrddin]

I don't see too many hams walking around Yellowstone. My wife and I go there about every 2 weeks from early April until late October. Both of us are licensed hams. I have an Extra, my wife has a Tech+. We do see lots of "geyser gazers" with FRS radios to keep track of the latest eruption schedules. A two meter rig would be nice on simplex to keep track of your group in a large crowd. I don't think there are any repeater sites in the park.