Krew's Hike

The kids had been looking forward to our big camping trip all summer.  My husband Symen had been in school all summer and was not able to enjoy summer break.  This camping trip was time to relax and play.  We loaded up the kiddos and off we went, 4 days, just the family.  No iPods, TVs, or computers.  Just us. 

We got to Bear Canyon Lake around 2 in the afternoon.  Symen and I were unloading and setting up camp.  The kids headed off to collect rocks for the fire ring and burn some energy from traveling for 3 hours.  After about 10 minutes I went to go check on the kids.  I called out to the kids, and they came yelling “Ya, Mom!”  As I counted kids, I noticed Krew my adventurous almost 3 year old was not with them.  No, big deal we will find him.  Symen, the kids and I went back to where the kids had been and could not find him.  As we started searching 5 minutes turned into 20 then 40.  Every camp we came upon the people would help us look.  Finally, after an hour of 40 people searching and no luck, we called 911. 

The forest service, sheriff, and fire chief all showed up.  The sheriff instructed me to stay at camp, while they searched.  My thoughts were simply “You want me to sit and do nothing, while my baby is out in the woods by himself!”  With out any cell phone signal it was not easy organizing the search.  Then, three and half hours into the search, they found one of his shoes and the football he was caring.  Symen (his dad) jumped into one the trucks heading out to the shoe site and once again, I was told to stay and wait.  At the shoe site Symen found a sock print in the dirt and headed off in that direction.  He hikes about a half mile when he heard the sheriff helicopter tighten his search, and finally the helicopter calls out “Stay where you are”.  Symen takes off running up and down a couple hills, he stops when he sees Krew and yells out his nickname, in a very playful voice “Krewman”.  Krew starts to run towards his dad with his sock in hand yelling “Dad, Dad, I can’t find my shoe!”  Krew was found at 6:06, right before it got dark. 

The little guy had traveled about 2 miles in the forest in 4 hours.  I asked him “Krew, where you scared?” He replied; with a puzzled look on his face “No Mom, I didn’t even cry.”  Silly Mom, why would you ask such a question?  The kid had no idea he was lost.  We decided to stay and finish out our trip, for the kids.