Two Utah Boy Scouts hurt when boulder rolls loose on hike

[alancar 10]

One Boy Scout had been released from the hospital while another was in good condition Friday, the day after they were struck by a boulder while hiking in Davis Countys Adams Canyon.

 

Davis County sheriffs Deputy Scott Harper said the boys, both 13, were hiking with their Mueller Park Ward Boy Scout troop about 8 p.m. Thursday near the top of a rugged trail when the boulder came loose.

 

They were heading toward the top of the canyon, about two miles up, when they came across a particularly steep, rocky area . A couple in the party had gotten ahead of the rest of the troop and were on top of the boulder, which dislodged, Harper said.

 

While the hikers on the boulder escaped injury, the rock rolled down the trail, striking the victims. Both suffered head injuries, as well as numerous lacerations and bruises, Harper said.

 

A passing hiker who happened to be a nurse rendered first aid, and one of the adults with the 16-member troop called 911. It took two Davis County paramedics about 45 minutes to reach the boys, neither of whom was further identified.

 

Assisted by about 30 Davis County Search and Rescue Team members using a rope-pulley system, the boys were lowered from the mountain and taken by ambulance to McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden.

 

One of the boys was released Friday morning. The second boy was transported to Primary Childrens Medical Center in Salt Lake City, where he was listed in good condition, Harper said.

 

remims@sltrib.com

[Papadaddy 121]

Not sure how this could have been prevented. Thankful for a good outcome.

[SeattlePioneer 144]

I can feel a new Guide to Safe Scouting rule requiring that hard hats be worn on all hikes....

[Engineer61 19]

I guess the hiking lesson would be to say on the trail and not stand on overhanging boulders.

[SR540Beaver 116]

"A couple in the party had gotten ahead of the rest of the troop and were on top of the boulder, which dislodged."

 

Whatever happened to the slowest person setting the pace and the group staying together?

[qwazse 4346]

SP - Some "hikes" are actually level 3 climbs. Knowing the difference and when to require helmets and climbing signals (such as "rock!"), is a challenge. It's not like these things are always marked on hiking maps.

 

Eng - I spent several moments this weekend talking boys off of cliff edges. Sedimentary rock looks real stable from the top, looking down the canyon to the next rim, however, one begins to realize what may not lie beneath ....

 

SR540 - Short of GPS activated shock-collars, I don't know how you implement such a policy at all times. In this case, travelling in a contingent of more than 10 may have undermined any attempt to maintain order.

 

Here's hoping that the boys had time to think and "break down" what errors were made, and what they will do differently next time. Hope the hospital has a few "Roadrunner" re-runs.

[SR540Beaver 116]

qwazse,

 

I know it goes against the 300 foot mandate and patrol hikes, but this is where adults come in handy in the absence of mature, responsible youth. I remember a day hike in the Ouachita National Forsest in southeastern OK back around 2004. The troop we were with back then was small, maybe 10 boys. Half of them were scouts who had just crossed over. A couple of the older guys didn't like our leisurely pace and before too long, they were nowhere to be seen. They said they would wait up ahead for us to catch up. Seems they came to a fork in the trail and went the wrong way. After about 20 minutes down the wrong trail, it became more and more apparent that they didn't recognize anything along their trail. They ended up having to backtrack where they found us waiting for them.

 

The troop I'm with now is about 50 to 60 boys and we do high adventure trips each year. The troop's 2012 Philmont crew is already doing shakedowns a year in advance. Anyone who decides the rest of the crew is moving too slow and takes off on their own will not like the conversation he has with the crew chief. Safety first.

[Beavah 205]

Yah, hmmm...

 

An interestin' thing that seems to happen more with the Utah units and these accident reports than with other units is the presence of a boy who is not a scout in that particular troop. I forget whether it was da reports on this incident or the lightning incident but at least one if not both mentioned that one of the boys was not a troop member, and that's been the case for several other of the "foolishness around cliffs" accidents in the area.

 

So the issue might not be whether youth are or can be responsible, but whether youth who are guests of the units are familiar enough with da norms and expectations of scouting (or the safety issues in a particular area).

 

I've generally found boys who have been instructed well to be no less safe than adults around cliffs, and sometimes more safe. All yeh have to do is pick up da news anywhere there's a cliff or river to see all kinds of adult foolishness resulting in injury or death on a regular basis. The issue is experience, not age, eh? And it's easy experience to develop quickly.

 

Beavah

 

[qwazse 4346]

SR540,

 

Part of a good hike plan includes estimating the competence of the leaders (youth of adult). A high adventure trip clearly needs stronger leadership.

 

[Dis]orienteering hikes are par for the course with my group. The youth know that they will not be informed that they've chosen a wrong path until they are about a mile or so down it. (Our adult's have to be okay with a few extra miles than planned.) The youth usually tighten up after the first missed turn!

 

A "talk with the crew chief" is secondary prevention. You can only hope it happens before something life-threatening occurs.

 

I've known adults to lead hikers wrongly. So, regardless of age, the challenge is getting everyone's brains operating and making sure any safety concerns are communicated and collectively respected. That's easier said than done, but, you're right, training the "fore hikers" to hold up for the rest of their mates is a good first step.