Tragedy On The Trail

[Al Agnew]

Well, there really isn't much to say as far as being compassionate, and we all like to see ourselves type. Sure, it was tragic, and I feel very sorry for the remaining family members. But what else can you say about that part of it? So we all do a lot of second guessing the adult, dissecting the mistakes he made, and talking about how to avoid what happened.

[jdmidwest]

And being compassionate enough to pass stuff along so we don't have to post another one like this.

[BredMan]

It appears that no one actually offered the father and sons a ride on their hike back to the lodge and now the County Sherriff is not certain of what the driver said. He could not remember the man’s name. Not that this changes the tradgedy of it all but I'm sure the family is haunted by what people are saying about the father knowing it was reported that he turned down a ride in a cold rain.

Family members of Decareaux, however, say they have spoken to the owner of Brushy Creek Lodge, who claims she talked to the driver and that a ride was never offered. The owner, Jo Ann Becker, confirmed those details to the Post-Dispatch this week.

Becker said she spoke to the man on Saturday evening. The driver had indeed met Decareaux at Sutton’s Bluff, but there was only a light rain at that point and there was no talk of a ride, Becker says. The driver grew more concerned after leaving and eventually circled back, but the hikers were already gone, according to Becker. The man later called the lodge to see if they made it back.

Decareaux, Becker said, “never turned down a ride.”

Volner, in an interview this week, said he spoke to the driver on Sunday night and thought he heard the driver say a ride was offered. But Volner acknowledged that there are now conflicting reports and that he is not certain of what the driver said. He could not remember the man’s name.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/family-disputes-that-hikers-turned-down-potentially-life-saving-ride/article_5b4f4ae9-3b4d-518b-b2b6-689eb6b4f1a1.html

[jdmidwest]

Dang, the media got something wrong?

[ColdWaterFshr]

I saw that add-on story in the paper today too. Not sure that it was news-worthy or really changes anything about the story. Whether he was offered a ride or just said hey to a dude in a truck at the 8 mile point (and could've easily asked for a ride if he knew he was in trouble, but didn't) . . . what difference does that make?? Changes nothing. Obviously the trouble didn't begin until the heavy rain started and the temps dropped on the way back.

[jdmidwest]

I have not spent much time in that area, but friends have. I wonder why he left a road and hit a trail when it was raining and he had no rain gear?

[Mitch f]

I'm just really sad after reading about it. He was by all accounts a good father and was doing something noble by taking his kids out to enjoy the Ozarks.

[Mark]

This tragedy has made some of us realize how ill prepared we are for emegencies on some of our trips. Hell, me and a buddy were float fishing last October, got into a rootwad, had to bail out to save the canoe. Both got soaking wet. Even though the temp was in the 50s, I was shivering uncontrollably by the time we got off the river. If we had lost our canoe and no one around, we could have been in for a long night.

A lot of us have been in situations where things could have gone terribly wrong. This incident was certainly a wake up call.

[living_waters]

The shattering reality of this story is not what was done wrong but that three individuals died, two children and odds are they didn't just die at one time. The horror and helplessness, the fear is unimaginable. Our hearts are broken for all those involved, it is these things that scream for answers but there are no real answers, at least none that can undo what has been done.

So what do we take away from this? How do we make sure this never has to happen again. Being prepared is only one small part of the equation, a person can have all the tools and supplies imaginable but if they don't know how to use them they are of little use.