Boy found in Utah forest left clues for searchers
By APMonday, June 22, 2009
Boy found in Utah forest left clues for searchers
MANILA, Utah — A lost boy’s granola bar wrapper, pieces of his jacket tied to trees and his black backpack helped searchers find him after a night in the forest.
Nine-year-old Grayson Wynne of Heber City was found Sunday after getting separated from his family while hiking in Ashley National Forest near the Spirit Lake trailhead on Saturday, the Daggett County sheriff’s office said.
Searchers found a granola bar wrapper believed to be Grayson’s on Saturday night. On Sunday they found a small footprint by a creek bed and the boy’s backpack, which helped them realize he was following the creek.
“I climbed a pine tree to see if I could see anyone, but I didn’t,” Grayson told the Deseret News in Salt Lake City. “So I just kept following the river.”
Grayson knew to tie pieces of his jacket to trees after watching a television show about survival strategies.
“I was really scared,” he said. “But ‘Man vs. Wild’ tells you how to survive all different terrains.”
When he finally heard a search helicopter, he went into a meadow and started waving the last piece of his jacket. He was spotted by two searchers on horseback and reunited with his family.
“I was just really happy to see the horses. I missed my parents a lot,” Grayson told the newspaper. “I almost broke into tears when I saw them, but I didn’t.”
Family members had searched for Grayson after realizing he was missing then contacted authorities as dusk neared, said Kimberly Wynne, Grayson’s mother.
“There were times I was worried Grayson wouldn’t make it, and I wouldn’t ever see him again, and I’m just humbled that I can,” she told the newspaper.
Kynan Wynne, the boy’s father, declined immediate comment when contacted by The Associated Press.
The search was a success “due to the many searchers and volunteers, and to Grayson for being such a strong little boy, with a lot of common sense,” the Daggett County sheriff’s office said in a prepared statement.
The boy’s feet were wet and cold, but he was in good spirits after spending the night under a log.
His first words when reunited with his father were happy Father’s Day.
Information from: Deseret News, www.deseretnews.com
