Boy did not return from short walk
By John Dew
This August
Saturday had been a hot, long, happy one. The
RMRU team had been on training, and it had been a
time of fun.
This training
had been to carry fifty pounds from Humber Park
to Tahquitz Peak and back to set a time on about
how long it should take. Much good natured
horsing around had taken place and we had had
fun, BUT still we were glad it was over. We were
looking forward to getting some rest before the
next morning when we would be involved in helping
with the pancake breakfast the Isaac Walton
League of Idyllwild puts on to benefit RMRU.
With this
special day coming we wanted to be at out best,
BUT that wasn't to be.
On Saturday
evening some of the team had gone on home to be
with their families. Some of them had stayed to
camp in one of the local parks, and some of them
had taken advantage of Norm and Maggie Mellor's
hospitality at the Sky Yacht. No matter where the
team members were our trusty pagers were alert
and about eight o'clock that night they started
screaming at us that there was a mission that
must be handled immediately.
A 15 year old
boy was camping near Willow Creek Crossing with
some others in a group when he decided to take a
short walk. When he decided to return a short
time later he was so disoriented he could not
find his way back to the group. He had wandered
off mid-afternoon and the group had searched for
him until dusk before calling for help, thus the
late call to RMRU.
Several team
members were dispatched to the area where he was
last seen. They started searching from there
while two other members were placed at Saddle
Junction to serve as relay back to Base, while a
couple of members were left at Base Camp to do
the work which needed to be done there.
As was
suspected by the searchers, and as had happened
so often before, the lost boy had gotten into the
Willow Creek drainage and started toward the
infamous hazard to inexperienced hikers, Tahquitz
Canyon, which catches so many lost persons.
Fortunately for him, at Laws Camp, some other
people were camped. As they were talking to him
they discovered he was lost. They did about the
best thing they could do. They knew someone would
be looking for him and they persuaded him to stay
there with them until morning.
About 2:00
a.m. our team members searching the area and
calling, calling, into the night, had waked the
people in the tent. After information was
exchanged it was learned the young man RMRU was
looking for was in the tent.
After camping
there until morning RMRU thanked the folks who
had been so much help and took the lost boy back
to his group.
They arrived
back in Idyllwild in time for part of the Pancake
Breakfast, and members of the Isaac Walton League
of Idyllwild had opportunity to see first hand
what a tremendous part they play in assisting
those in need in the wilderness.
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