I understand that and yes the boy was 12 and I will grant him inexperience. But where he was, I have been. I fish that area several times a year. The creek is very open tho there are some parts you describe further up.
And yes you can get turned around especially in those rhodadendren "hells" as they are called [as you know I am sure but others may not] or laurel slicks.
Like I said, that particular area is at the head of the cove and very narrow. Its just hard to be very lost, in my opinion. There are 3 trails: the trail to the Caudill cabin, the trail to Bluff mountain and the fire road [there is a 4th and 5th but they are not close...both are close to the parking lot]. Its hard to be between the Caudill and Bluff Mtn trail because its a very steep drop off.
Maybe its completely innocent. I am real curious...I guess from knowing the area so well.
On the news tonight they said that the reason the scout walked away from camp is that he missed his family, so he left camp to "go home." (I guess that might explain why he maybe didn't try to head back in the direction of camp.) He was surprised to see the search volunteer with the dog, as he wasn't aware that anyone was looking for him.
http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070320/NEWSREC0101/303200001
Local news indicates that he made no apparent effort to assist the searches (like, staying in one place) even though he could hear people calling and see helicopters overhead, etc.
In this situation, my son would be in deep, serious trouble.
But he likely didn't know the area little if any and it makes a difference. Several things were said one was he heard the rescuers calling but they couldn't hear him. Makes sense to me especially if they were near a stream or the winds were up and they were at least up till yesterday here on the other side of the mountains.
His physical condition is telling as well although it sounds like he found a dry place at least. Doing so likely saved his life. He was dehydrated which says he was likely out in the woods. The physical evidence they located such as food wrappers etc says he was out in the woods. I will say this though not many 12 year olds would not have been traumatized by the experience. I think his break may have came from last nights rain. When the dog hit his scent it was fresh.
The Rangers are trained to determine if someone has actually been out there that long and I'd say they are looking hard at the area. Foot note where the kid was lost in Cades Cove in 69 or 70 it was up around 4000 feet if I recall a little less dense and there were several trails including Bote Mountain Road near by. People back then were whispering foul play. I know of searches for people even in more populated and developed areas where they could not find a person but found a body later.
Some people can literally get lost walking out of sight of their vehicle. They have no sense of direction whatsoever and many have hunted and fished for years believe it or not. When they get back to their car they are almost panicked and these are adults. I've seen it happen on Wildlife Managed Areas where if you walked two hours you would either come out on a lake or in someones farm. The worse enemy when lost is panic because it effects judgment and can get you deeper in trouble like a kid running several miles in the wrong direction and most likely not in a straight line either. Next is the elements. You are I may be able to get out of those mountains on our own if we were lost but weren't injured but likely not a 12 year old. Some can but most can't even though they are scouts.
One other thing he was looking for a road to catch a ride home according to reports. That tells me he knew nothing about the area. Heck he couldn't even back track how he came in if you think about it.