9-year-old Grayson Wynne's thoughts turned to television

[SAR-EMT40]

Just curious. How many people think that Little Jayson was correct and should be lauded as a hero, which is inevitable, when he followed his hero and tore up his only rain protection as Bear Grylls "taught" him to do and wander around lost in the woods, or would the more prudent action for him to be to sit tight and wait for rescue. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if as a publicity stunt Bear visits the young boy to congratulate him.

Maybe its jut me getting more cynical in my old age.

I’m ecstatic that the child is OK. But how many more actions of this type would eventually lead to a tragedy.

Be honest in the poll. Your names will not be shown.

Keith

 

[Stash]

Not enough options here...

Where are the real "Bear" options?

• Jump in the nearest raging river and swim downstream
• Find something totally disgusting to eat
• Fabricate a 3 story condo from only the elastic in his underwear and a few tree branches

 

[dug]

That's the problem with "these shows"*. Sitting there and waiting for a rescue isn't great TV. So, they assume you have got past that part, have no hope for rescue....so they teach you to carry on best you can.

There are certainly areas where waiting for a rescue isn't the right move. Not in the case of where he was mind you, but it can happen.

So, he followed what he was taught and it saved him. Can't say he was wrong...





*I do watch the Survivorman, Man vs. Wild, Out of the Wild, etc. shows

 

[sardog1]

I'm glad you posted this poll. I was trying to hold myself in check when I saw the original thread appear. I will speak plainly now:

THE ENTIRE REASON FOR THE CREATION OF THE HUG-A-TREE PROGRAM WAS AN INCIDENT LIKE THIS ONE. The boy in that original incident was unfortunately not found in time. Some of you will recall a similar incident near Loon Mountain in NH a few years ago.

Kids who imitate Bear Grylls in this manner are at serious risk of perishing from hypothermia and other hazards while they move around and enlarge the search area tremendously. The boy in Utah is in the prime age group for making this error.

When I teach Hug-A-Tree to kids, I tell them that five-year-olds are smarter than ten-year-olds. The former know instinctively that they need to stop, find a way to stay warm, and do what they can to attract attention to their location. The latter will try to find their own way out, often because they're worried about getting in trouble for being late or lost.

If you are a parent, you should impress on your kid that

1. You will never be mad at the kid for being lost
2. This Utah boy was extremely lucky
3. Your kid should NOT try to find his/her way out
4. Your kid must:

• stop,
• find a tree or rock to hug,
• make a warm nest,
• attract attention by blowing the whistle you bought for him/her three times. Blow it three times, pause, blow it three times, pause, etc., repeating continuously until found, and
• answer back to anyone calling out to him/her. This is a parent-approved exception to the "don't talk to strangers" rule. (Yes, I've been on a search when a kid didn't call back when he heard searchers calling to him. He spent an extra night in a hole in the ground as a result.)

You haven't bought that whistle yet? Then you and your kid are not ready to go hiking. Your kid will quickly lose his/her voice from trying to shout for help. A whistle can be blown for a very long time and carries a long distance. Your kid should also be equipped with a garbage bag for shelter.

 

[Chip]

"I climbed a pine tree to see if I could see anyone, but I didn't," Grayson said. "So I just kept following the river."

Farther up the stream, searchers found the black backpack the boy had been carrying.

"He had his sleeping bag, snacks and an extra jacket in his backpack," Kimberly said. "It was cold out and we worried how he'd manage without it."

Lucky kid. Glad it turned out okay. He could've fallen out of the tree, into the river, or down a cliff. Standard gear for all of us is a whistle around the neck and the Stay Put instruction. I'd like to think mine would have been quite safe and comfortable with the pack contents, waiting by a tree and blowing their whistle.

One very picky point: the searchers indicated "Farther up the stream". If you're going to follow a stream "out" you go downstream.

 

[WinterWarlock]

I'd have a hard time choosing one of these two options...it's more complicated than that. I do think the sit tight option is best, but the kid didn't have a whistle (AFAIK) nor a pack...my kids always do when we're hiking. Also, he did stay calm and use his head, which is critical in any emergency situation, so he gets points for that...

 

[Little Rickie]

The kid was lucky. He did some smart things but the smartest would have been to stay put. Besides leaving you kid behind not giving him a whistle was stupid too.

Now the question is : Was the TV show a good influence on him or would he have stayed put if had he not seen the show(s)?

 

[DiamondRidge]

My girls (aged 4 and 8) have Hug A Tree drilled into their brains. I'm quite sure that, if, god forbid, they should ever be lost in the woods, they would do just that - Hug A Tree and blow their whistle (they each have a whistle built into their sternum strap on their pack, and an extra one tucked into the front pocket of the pack or into their pants pocket), they also know not to drop their packs... They've also been taught to holler back to people calling their names and not to be afraid when they see the dogs coming towards them - my oldest has even had the privilege of participating in a K9 SAR training session.

That said, the kid in the story is still pretty remarkable. Likely he wasn't taught the hug a tree rule, so he did the best he could with the knowledge that he had - and leaving a marked trail was good foresight on his part. For a scared 9 year old alone in the woods that's pretty good.

 

[SAR-EMT40]

I'd have a hard time choosing one of these two options...it's more complicated than that. I do think the sit tight option is best, but the kid didn't have a whistle (AFAIK) nor a pack...my kids always do when we're hiking. Also, he did stay calm and use his head, which is critical in any emergency situation, so he gets points for that...

Not picking on you WinterWarlock just making some general statements.

Actually the news report stated he lost his pack wandering around which had a sleeping bag, snacks, and his extra jacket in it and he even seems to mention that "I was just panicking too much." It doesn't mention a whistle which dad should have known to supply his son. Of course Bear doesn't talk about a whistle so I suspect that is why he didn't have one. Proper lost person “etiquette” isn't really TV friendly or very sexy though Les Stroud does a great job with it. If he had to go through another nightfall without the extras in his backpack that he lost it would have been much harder. If he stayed put he also would have been found sooner, since clearly the searchers were doing a great job of tracking him. Tracks/sign sometimes dry up, winds shift and dogs can sometimes no longer stay on scent. If that had happened before he was discovered before this following nightfall, this might have turned out worse.

As sardog1 stated. It was precisely this type of scenario that ended tragically that generated the hug-a-tree program which is endorsed by almost all search agencies throughout the US and Canada as well as NASAR.

Unless the person is in imminent danger because of their location then they (child or in general ANY lost person) should stay put. Conserve energy, create a shelter and improve it every chance they get, and signal regularly.

Keith

 

[bikehikeskifish]

As I read the story, it was his incidental clues (candy wrapper, dropped pack) that helped him be found, not ripping up his raincoat.

Tim

 

[WinterWarlock]

Not picking on you WinterWarlock just making some general statements.

Actually the news report stated he lost his pack wandering around which had a sleeping bag, snacks, and his extra jacket in it and he even seems to mention that "I was just panicking too much." It doesn't mention a whistle which dad should have known to supply his son. Of course Bear doesn't talk about a whistle so I suspect that is why he didn't have one. Proper lost person “etiquette” isn't really TV friendly or very sexy though Les Stroud does a great job with it. If he had to go through another nightfall without the extras in his backpack that he lost it would have been much harder. If he stayed put he also would have been found sooner, since clearly the searchers were doing a great job of tracking him. Tracks/sign sometimes dry up, winds shift and dogs can sometimes no longer stay on scent. If that had happened before he was discovered before this following nightfall, this might have turned out worse.

As sardog1 stated. It was precisely this type of scenario that ended tragically that generated the hug-a-tree program which is endorsed by almost all search agencies throughout the US and Canada as well as NASAR.

Unless the person is in imminent danger because of their location then they (child or in general ANY lost person) should stay put. Conserve energy, create a shelter and improve it every chance they get, and signal regularly.

Keith

Pick away - no worries...

I just googled again and found four stories - not one mentions the pack, or the 'panic'. I agree - if that's the case then it's different than I've seen it spun.

Interesting take on the hug-a-tree though...while NH's HikeSafe site recommends it for kids, their page for adults that become lost is strikingly different.

 

[SAR-EMT40]

Pick away - no worries...

I just googled again and found four stories - not one mentions the pack, or the 'panic'. I agree - if that's the case then it's different than I've seen it spun.

Interesting take on the hug-a-tree though...while NH's HikeSafe site recommends it for kids, their page for adults that become lost is strikingly different.

The original story posted on the original link has the references I used and quoted.

I should mention that for adults, particularly experienced adults, I recommend and teach STOP. But once you are convinced that you are really lost or injured badly enough that you need rescue, you need to give yourself enough daylight to make a shelter and prepare for the night both physically and emotionally and have the courage in most cases to stay put. I understand that most in this forum are very comfortable in this environment but consider that many are not and even some experienced people being caught out in the woods, especially alone, without what is familiar to them, things like a stove, tent, sleeping bag, etc. could cause even an experienced person to panic.

I have little doubt that as in combat. Inaction i.e. freezing or worse still, panic kills many more people lost than “incorrect action”. A plan, even a poor one, is better than giving up and formulating a even bad plan will keep you from panicking. But the proven correct response saves even more.


That’s what I teach, what I believe and what I have seen work.
Keith

 

[cbcbd]

I don't agree with what he did but I think he made it ok because of this:

"The thing that he recognized from the show, regardless of the circumstances you're in, you are capable of surviving," Kynan Wynne said.

Despite of the odd things he did, like tear up his weather protection, he had an good attitude because he had confidence that he could make it.

ie.

I have little doubt that as in combat. Inaction i.e. freezing or worse still, panic kills many more people lost than “incorrect action”. A plan, even a poor one, is better than giving up and formulating a even bad plan will keep you from panicking. But the proven correct response saves even more.