2 missing young rafters found unharmed
- Thread starter Teegate
- Start date
I was reading about this earlier on Channel 6's website, only problem is they called it the Mullica River lol. I figured it was the Wading with the road intersection they gave.
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=6988917
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=6988917
We used to go camping all over the place when we were that age. Anywhere we could go by foot or bike was ok as long as we left word with the folks. You had to respect the River though!
we were camping on our own at the age and I made my first solo camping trip when I was 12, but times have changed.
Yeah, but were you ever the subject of a 7 hour manhunt? Just sounds a little irresponsible to me - evidently the parents didn't even notice they were missing until after dark. But maybe there's more to the story?
I did all kinds of things growing up the 50's that I wouldn't want a kid to do now also...
I did all kinds of things growing up the 50's that I wouldn't want a kid to do now also...
I was actually camping at the Wading Pines Campground this weekend while this went down. The family was staying at the CG for the weekend. They were, what we call, "weekenders". Several authorities we in and out until the wee-hours of the morning. They had the basketball court area roped off, to be the "command and control" area, if you will. The parents got worried after 2-hours when the kids did not return from tubing. They went to the CG shop and asked for the authorities to be contacted. State police, sniffing dogs and a bunch of other authorities were in and out all night. The CG staff were furious, as was I, that someone would allow 10 and 11 year old kids to be tubing, alone, at night, in the dark.
The mother went with one State Trooper to Evans Bridge, where she stay there most of the duration. The father, headed down the Wading River, where he became lost and missing for a period of time. You won't read that in the papers. Anyway, it was a pretty high anxiety night, filled with anger, worry and best of all, happiness that they were found unharmed.
The mother went with one State Trooper to Evans Bridge, where she stay there most of the duration. The father, headed down the Wading River, where he became lost and missing for a period of time. You won't read that in the papers. Anyway, it was a pretty high anxiety night, filled with anger, worry and best of all, happiness that they were found unharmed.
Yes NASCAR, that summed it up very well, thank you. The "weekenders" sound like first timers to me.
Thanks for "the rest of the story" Nascar! I wonder if they are going to send the parents a bill for all those emergency services?
Boyd:
At first blush, I am in full agreement with you, considering the level of stupidity and irresponsibility exhibited in this particular potential disaster. Perhaps if the government DID bill every person who indulges in stupid behavior for the ensuing requisite emergency services, they could lower our taxes substantially—but I doubt it! The politicians would just find some other use for the money. A bill might also make idiots think twice about what activity they are contemplating to do—but I doubt that, too!
Best regards,
Jerseyman
Actually I've read that some municipalities *do* bill people for this kind of thing, which is why I asked. In some cases I think this is a good idea, but it gets complicated. Ever see the movie Brazil? The Ministry of Information bills their "clients" by the hour for torturing them... "Confess son, or it could be very bad for your credit rating."
National Parks bill for rescue services. Besides wondering what parent would allow their children on a river on the eve of a potential hurricane, just before dark, without lifejackets or flashlights......
...... If the State of NJ could fine folks for stupidity there would be no budget deficit. Let's just consider the parents inconsiderate.
As a side note.....over half of the people spending their Friday evening wandering the swamps, woods, and rivers looking for these kids were volunteers with the local emergency services. The local municipalities in this neck of the woods have not begun charging for rescue, but perhaps should look into it. The majority of calls throughout the summer months are generated from the private campgrounds. The population of summer visitors at the campgrounds increases our township population 4-fold.
Many weekends see several calls due to "irresponsible" behavior.....on top of legitimate emergencies.
The other thing for people to think about is.....playing with the odds. There will come a time when the outcome (God forbid) may not be so happy...
just thoughts, thanks for letting me vent........
turtle
...... If the State of NJ could fine folks for stupidity there would be no budget deficit. Let's just consider the parents inconsiderate. As a side note.....over half of the people spending their Friday evening wandering the swamps, woods, and rivers looking for these kids were volunteers with the local emergency services. The local municipalities in this neck of the woods have not begun charging for rescue, but perhaps should look into it. The majority of calls throughout the summer months are generated from the private campgrounds. The population of summer visitors at the campgrounds increases our township population 4-fold.
Many weekends see several calls due to "irresponsible" behavior.....on top of legitimate emergencies.
The other thing for people to think about is.....playing with the odds. There will come a time when the outcome (God forbid) may not be so happy...
just thoughts, thanks for letting me vent........
turtle
AS a longtime NPS ranger I had my fill of this kind of stuff, there is no monopoly on stupid and irresponsible. I once was involved in a short term stint at the Grand Canyon and was shocked on a daily basis by peoples lack of respect for the big ditch. My first day I was rounding a bend only to see a pre-teen waaaaay out on an enscarpement, thousands of feet up. I remember my heart pounding and trying to remain cool. Well, I double timed it over and what did I see, the idiot father right behind him!
People who don't respect nature in any of its manifestations, and the number is indeed staggering, will continue to persish from incidents (not accidents) that could easily be averted.
Glad it ended well for the kids, but the parents should be billed for the S.A.R.
People who don't respect nature in any of its manifestations, and the number is indeed staggering, will continue to persish from incidents (not accidents) that could easily be averted.
Glad it ended well for the kids, but the parents should be billed for the S.A.R.
I think it is sometimes too easy to assume everyone has the same “woods sense” that most members of this forum have. In a state like New Jersey, we have urban areas within minutes of virtual wilderness and you get all types out there. My job has required me to spend more than my fair share of time searching for lost hikers in the woods. I get called out at least once a month. In some cases the individuals had no concept of the trail length and time required to hike it, setting off on an eight mile loop an hour before dusk. Others leave a well marked trail and walk for an hour on an unmarked one, never considering a possible wrong turn when the blazes stopped. Sometimes these people turned out to be the idiots you would have expected. Other times they were reasonably intelligent people, who were just victims of their own inexperience. One time, after we found the hikers, we had to find the police officer who got a bit lost during the search. It’s not always easy to know what you should have known, if you didn’t know it in the first place. I’m not sure if that makes sense, but I think of the nerdy character on Saturday Night Live who made fun of everyone else in the office requiring his assistance when they didn’t know what he knew about computers.
I’ve also had my own share of mishaps, from being temporarily lost in the woods to being stranded while duck hunting until the tide came back in. Some of what I know was taught to me or was intuitive, but much was learned through my own mistakes. The parents of these children could have been truly negligent in letting them do what they did, or they might have been so inexperienced that they had no concept of the difference between setting off from shore of a pond, where you can leisurely paddle around for a spell and then come back, and from the bank of a moving river, where you quickly end up far far away.
And knowing kids, not everything they do is with the permission of their parents in the first place. I recall the time I came home from work and saw my ladder against the front of the house. I was pissed off as I carried it to the rear were it belonged, thinking they simply failed to put the ladder back after retrieving a ball or frisbee from the gutter. I then spotted the trampoline moved against the rear of the house. The trampoline was gone soon after that!
I’ve also had my own share of mishaps, from being temporarily lost in the woods to being stranded while duck hunting until the tide came back in. Some of what I know was taught to me or was intuitive, but much was learned through my own mistakes. The parents of these children could have been truly negligent in letting them do what they did, or they might have been so inexperienced that they had no concept of the difference between setting off from shore of a pond, where you can leisurely paddle around for a spell and then come back, and from the bank of a moving river, where you quickly end up far far away.
And knowing kids, not everything they do is with the permission of their parents in the first place. I recall the time I came home from work and saw my ladder against the front of the house. I was pissed off as I carried it to the rear were it belonged, thinking they simply failed to put the ladder back after retrieving a ball or frisbee from the gutter. I then spotted the trampoline moved against the rear of the house. The trampoline was gone soon after that!
Some Good Points GermanG,
All of us, myself included, have learned through trial and error at times. My first lesson I remember was, at age 8, trying to grab a little snapper turtle from the front.............lessoned learned, fingers intact.
I hate to say it though, but I'm a little jaded to the ignorance factor. Last summer along the mullica I ran into a totally unprepared boy scout troop that decided they would "follow the river" down to Batsto. Problem was they were bushwhacking in summer, little water or food, no map, and no real understanding of the topography. That is a recipe for disaster. Lost hiker is one thing, but it seems I've seen less of those and more of the unprepared endangering types.
Whether a seasoned outdoorsman, carcamper, or family for the first time in the woods RESPECT has to be the mantra. Sadly I'd say my dealings are somewhere in the neigborhood of 8 stupid for every three genuine mistakes.
Perhaps your right though, kids will be kids, and we cant watch them 24-7. Maybe it wasn't unattentive parenting but just sneaky adventerous kids.
All of us, myself included, have learned through trial and error at times. My first lesson I remember was, at age 8, trying to grab a little snapper turtle from the front.............lessoned learned, fingers intact.
I hate to say it though, but I'm a little jaded to the ignorance factor. Last summer along the mullica I ran into a totally unprepared boy scout troop that decided they would "follow the river" down to Batsto. Problem was they were bushwhacking in summer, little water or food, no map, and no real understanding of the topography. That is a recipe for disaster. Lost hiker is one thing, but it seems I've seen less of those and more of the unprepared endangering types.
Whether a seasoned outdoorsman, carcamper, or family for the first time in the woods RESPECT has to be the mantra. Sadly I'd say my dealings are somewhere in the neigborhood of 8 stupid for every three genuine mistakes.
Perhaps your right though, kids will be kids, and we cant watch them 24-7. Maybe it wasn't unattentive parenting but just sneaky adventerous kids.
growing up in Atco I had to deal with them all the time. Nothing better than the guy with PA plates looking at me as if "what are you doing back here" when I'm basically in my backyard.
but what ya gonna do? they'll always be around