Posted on 03/18/2007 2:40:41 PM PDT by SmithL
TRAPHILL, N.C. (AP) -- Search teams combed mountain terrain Sunday for a 12-year-old Boy Scout who disappeared during an outing.
About 10 scouts and the adult leaders of Troop 230, from Greensboro, noticed that Michael Auberry was missing between 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday in Stone Mountain State Park, officials said.
The troop had gone on a hike earlier Saturday, and the boy and an adult stayed behind, said David Bauer, a ranger with the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was not immediately clear why they stayed behind.
After the troop returned and ate lunch with Michael and the adult, the troop noticed the boy was missing from camp. Searchers found part of his mess kit less than a mile away late Saturday,
(Excerpt) Read more at ap.washingtontimes.com ...
Based on my familiarity with this area, there is heavy, heavy vegetation. Whatever is dropped may be caught in a tree, but your thoughts of survival packages with loud signals sounds like it could work. Seems like with today's electronics, the loud sound could be a parent's voice announcing that a package of food, clothing, shelter, and fire-starting materials has been dropped.
With apologies for making light of it, just announcing that fire-starting materials are available would be enough to attract 85% of the Boy Scouts within a ten-mile radius (based on my experience).
Troops, like people, have personalities. If the troop is not not a good fit with the boy's personality, the boy will vote with his feet.
Hi Dan,
Well Done, and welcome to Free Republic.
Someone with more rescue expertise than me will need to address your question.
Oh, dear. We already went through a phase of James's trying to add insects to all our meals. "Six-legged insects are crunchy!"
We have gerbils. Is there a "small rodent" merit badge?
News media back to reporting specifically that Michael was in the campsite when the Troop returned for lunch. Relaying the information solely because it cuts down on the amount of time that he may have been wandering before the Troop noticed he was lost. Bless this Scout.
I heard on Fox yesterday the boy is ADHD and wouldn't sit still very long. I have a bad feeling about staying behind with an adult. Notice how many kids are diagnosed with ADHD these days? How conventient. My son't friend in middle school 13 yrs ago was "diagnosed" ADHD and they put him on drugs. Turns out he is close to genius level. He got his degree last year in Engineering and got a job with Boeing! Too many kids are getting labeled and medicated to make the teacher's job easier not help the kid!
Over the years, we've lost the really good ones like Legume Production, Bookbinding, Farmhouse Planning, and Beekeeping.
The BSA dropped Beekeeping just before my son crossed over; he was devastated. He'd already decided where the hive would go in the back yard.
He went through a spell when he earned badges solely because the badge itself was strange. For example, the Pulp and Paper merit badge looks like a roll of toilet paper. That alone is reason enough for a thirteen-year old Scout to cherish it.
Try a Pac-Man frog. They just sit there like Jabba the Hut and scarf down crickets (and later pinky mice, and later mice) that wander within reach. Name it Hillary. No reason you can't enjoy the merit badge process too, eh?
I used to be GS leader for a troop that I think they used as the model for Troop Beverly Hills. Some parents were just as bad as their girls. They thought the rules shouldn't apply to their darling. I had one mother tell me she was "raising her daughter without any rules, she wanted her to be a free spirit". Of course I didn't know this until I was awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of giggles and singing to find the girls in that woman's room outside in their nighties dancing on the lawn of the motel we were staying at. Said motel was on a very busy road and "free spirit" mom was in the room watching tv. Boy, did I give her a piece of mind which is when she told me she wanted her dear daughter to be a free spirit not bound by any rules. I NEVER asked her to chaperone anything ever again.
Local radio (KFBK) unconfirmed reports he's been found alive.
As a parent of a soon to be Tenderfoot Scout, as a previous Scoutmaster and now Asst. Scoutmaster, I will tell you that if you want your son to stay interested in Scouting, get him out of that Troop and into one he feels welcome in. Period.
SZ
The cat would love having mice brought in as a food source :-).
Bill's supposed to be doing Landscape Architecture and totally revamping our backyard, but he got distracted.
Do the boys have a Child Development badge?
Also CBS and CNN.
Thank God.
Oh, anything. Actually, I'd love to have a foreign neckerchief of any kind, but apparently those are hard to get people to trade for. Otherwise, I'll go for any patch you think looks cool. Or a slide.
Have you met with the leaders of your son's Troop? Or the Troop Committee? Or their Sponsoring Organization? If this doesn't change fast, get him out of that Troop. My opinion, anyway. Have you been to any meetings or outings where you might have had a chance to observe this behavior first hand? A certain amount of give and take amoung 12-year olds is to be expected, but if there's truly bullying going on it should stop.
Take the Youth Protection Training and the Boy Scout Leaer Fast Start on-line on the BSA's Online Training Center. Then do the New Leader Essentials and the Boy Scout Leader Specific training. This should get you what you need to know about how the program has changed in since you got your Eagle (my wake-up call from how things had changed when I was a Scout was when I saw a woman wearing an OA sash ...). After that, give it a year and then sign up for Wood Badge. That's a LOT of fun.
Also, go to here and take a look around. Especially, click on the Guide to Safe Scouting link (a.k.a. "G2SS"), download it, read it all, and keep it on hand.
L
The missing boy was found alive about 1 hour ago. He was doing just fine; just a little weak from lack of food and water.
Thanks very much for the ping. I had noted that this AM, when I checked the News14 link, then back here on FR. I'm happy to see he's back.
Yep heard it today at work and got a chance to read the news just a bit. Good news, suspect there's gonna be a lot of "Dutch Uncle" talking to going on; to the youth, the Scout Troop, to the Scout District and to the Scout Council over this.
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