The heroic presence in the current american community

Buddy System

His son went missing in these woods . Maybe he could help find another lost boy

By Cathy Free

From HYPERLINK "http /www .rd .com /offer /rd /current /rdnavsubscribe .jsp ?trkid rdcom_artic le_top " \t "new " Reader 's Digest

March 2006 The Wrong Path

The sun was peeking over the Wasatch Mountains in Salem , Utah , last June when Kevin Bardsley 's phone rang , jarring the morning silence . Up early making preparations for his daughter 's wedding in just six days , he quickly picked up the phone "Kevin ? This is

the Summit County Sheriff 's Office " said the dispatcher "Another Scout is missing in the Uintas . Any chance you can get up here

Bardsley , 47 , couldn 't believe what he was hearing . Breathing deeply , he sat down "Another Scout ? I 'll be right there " he said . An hour later , he was headed to Utah 's remote high country with his friend Gary Hansen hauling a trailer filled with camping gear and a computer , maps and GPS satellite equipment . During the two-hour drive Bardsley cried remembering when he 'd made the same trip up the winding Mirror Lake Scenic Byway 10 months ago . His 12-year-old son , Garrett , had been along on that ride . They were both excited about an overnight hike with Garrett 's Boy Scout troop

Now Garrett 's body was lost in the Uinta Mountains . He 'd taken a wrong turn back to camp to change his shoes after an early-morning fishing trip . Bardsley felt sick when he recalled their last conversation "Son are you sure you know where you 're going "Yes , Dad , I 'm sure

For 11 days , Bardsley searched . Hundreds of volunteers helped , but they found no trace of Garrett . Bardsley couldn 't bear to think of another boy meeting the same fate . He 'd set up a foundation in Garrett 's name to buy GPS tracking equipment , and established a large pool of trained volunteers who could be ready to go out on a search in minutes "There has to be a different outcome this time " he told Hansen

Pulling into the Bear River Scout Camp -- not 20 miles from where Garrett disappeared -- Bardsley hurried to be briefed by Capt . Alan Siddoway . Eleven-year-old Brennan Hawkins had taken the wrong path to dinner the night before . He 'd been climbing at the camp 's rock wall with another Scout "Suppertime " his friend hollered "I 'll meet you there " Brennan removed his climbing harness and raced after him . He never made it the half-mile to the mess tent

Bardsley remembered the anguish of calling his wife , Heidi , to tell her Garrett was missing . The sleepless nights on the mountain , hating the moon because it meant Garrett was alone in the dark , cold and afraid "This Is Where I 'm Meant to Be

He had the same fears for Brennan . Using satellite maps of the Uintas Bardsley sent volunteers out in teams to search the dense woods in 500-meter grids . He called everyone he could think of...