I read a story this morning about a 12-year-old boy who managed to stay alive in the wilderness by using techniques that he learned in the Boy Scouts.
The story illustrated the importance of living the “be prepared” motto of the scouts and is a great example of how even a small amount of training can make the difference between life and death.
The young scout, who got lost in the Utah wilderness managed to keep himself alive by making a crude lean-to shelter and covering himself with dirt and debris. As temperatures dropped into the 30’s the scout who was wearing only jeans and a t-shirt kept his body warm by building the shelter that he learned about in Scout Camp.
What’s sad is most adults would not have survived in a similar situation. In fact, the news is filled with stories of people who have died or lost body parts as a result of similar situations. The training that this youngster acquired through scouting allowed him to think calmly and clearly during his time of crisis.
The fact that he was able to react and survive really highlights how and why training is so important to your survival. Training and knowledge are the keys to survival and should not be overlooked or taken for granted.
Actually they learn that in a merit badge class called wilderness survival. it is taught at summer camp most of the time.
got the same merit badge 50 years ago,shame i don,t remember most of it.maybe i should drag out the old scout hand books.
I spent 14 years in the british scouts as a kid … some of the survival trips we did were pretty extreme … dumped out in the middle of no-where and left for 3 days … they didnt come and collect us for 4 days … we had one radio and had one knife between 3. Few limited food items … help was only a short distance away but it was scary enough to learn some serious lesson about training and teamwork …
i now work with kids aged between 7 and 14 and have got 5 kids into scouting and they all love it
My son completed the Wilderness Survival merit badge at winter camp last year; I helped to teach the course. It’s a great experience for them. Culminates in spending the night in the wilderness in a debris shelter that they construct themselves. Very worthwhile!
Joe