Altamaha River Swamp Claims Another Victim

Horn Dog

Horn Dog

Joined
Sep 9, 2005
Messages
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It's a sad local story. A man and his son went into the swamp hunting wild hogs. They got lost. Dark came.
http://jacksonville.com/news/georgi...ers_find_body_of_mcintosh_county_boy_in_woods
I took my daughter down there two years ago to teach her land navigation and some basic survival skills. Even Les Stroud had a hard time down there. This is why we practice and learn wilderess survival skills.
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Sad story but it's sounds like there's more to it. How many 15 year old kids can't walk as far as their father? Why would someone leave their kid behind? It was his step son btw. Either way, very tragic.
 
Yes, there is obviously more to it. Maybe the kid injured himself somehow. Leaving him there was not a good move. I don't know if there is any foul play suspected or not, but I do know that even in a mild climate, if you get wet and it turns cold, you can die.
 
Horn Dog said:
Yes, there is obviously more to it. Maybe the kid injured himself somehow. Leaving him there was not a good move. I don't know if there is any foul play suspected or not, but I do know that even in a mild climate, if you get wet and it turns cold, you can die.
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No doubt about that. Something as simple as fire starting could save a life in similar circumstances.
 
Bushman5 said:
thats pretty harsh, interesting terrain!

does this area flood a lot then recede thru out the year??
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w64/rivershaman/SYKCO/ScrubLake011.jpg

off topic HD, but hows your daughter doing with the Military?
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The Altamaha drains about half of GA, I think. The Ocmulgee and Oconee Rivers join around Lumber City and it becomes the Altamaha. When it rains a lot upstate, the river swamps flood. During the dry times, you can walk for miles in the swamp, but the creeks become tidal down here on the coast.

My daughter is doing well in her 5th week of basic training.
 
Horn Dog said:
The Altamaha drains about half of GA, I think. The Ocmulgee and Oconee Rivers join around Lumber City and it becomes the Altamaha. When it rains a lot upstate, the river swamps flood. During the dry times, you can walk for miles in the swamp, but the creeks become tidal down here on the coast.

My daughter is doing well in her 5th week of basic training.
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i have never experienced said terrain, neat, thanks.

congrats on the 5th week! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
smersh said:
Sad story -- and it sounds fishy.
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It stikes me the same way, smersh. Something is not quite right here. When my kids were 15 they could run circles around me. They still can since I am 62 years old and overweight. Why was the kid not able to keep up with the old man? I just wonder.
 
This is my home turf, rather be in a swamp than any other place on earth. It is also one of the easiest places I have ever been to get lost in. Still the story seems a bit strange as others have mentioned. I am not going to lie, I have gotten lost and spent the night in the woods several times. It gets dark and I find a place to hunker down, build a fire and wait for light, maybe worry a bit about how mad my wife is gonna be. Proper clothes and a sure fire way to make a fire and you should be fine, don't understand why the kid died. Killed a lot of deer and hogs in that area, mostly along the ogeechee, and oconee. If the story is on the up and up it sounds like they weren't prepared, got wet and panicked. Chris
 
I'm with all the above that think something here doesn't add up. Without knowing more I would presume any adult knows their child well enough to decide if a trip to terrain like this is beyond them or not. It seems basic planning and prep wasn't done. I would say the father will be lucky not to be charged with negligence for this.

If I had to leave my kid I would be damned sure to leave him with, any food and water I had, dry clothes if any, a fire going, plenty of wood to burn and the means to light the fire should it go out. I would also mark the trail I took out very well to enable the rescue team to get back in quick.
 
I spend a lot of time in terrain just like that. Hunting hogs and deer in the swamp is what I enjoy.
I have spent a lot of time in the Okefenokee area, and in the large swamps and forests that are just south, in Florida.

It is very easy for someone to get turned around. The terrain, creeks, swamps, small lakes....... just to get around one of those can mess up your sense of direction. The undergrowth is sometimes so dense, you cannot penetrate it at all.

No one should go into that sort of area without folks k knowing where they are going. Cell phones don't always work back in the scrub either.
A map, compass, GPS unit, and a full pack of 'what if' stuff is needed.

Water, food, shelter, comfort and protection/safety. Leave any of these out, and you might not make it back.

Personally, I don't see any foul play here. I have known a lot of folks that got disorientated and lost in the swamp. It can happen to almost anyone. There are many examples of folks in distress becoming careless and not using their heads.
 
Mannlicher said:
I spend a lot of time in terrain just like that. Hunting hogs and deer in the swamp is what I enjoy.
I have spent a lot of time in the Okefenokee area, and in the large swamps and forests that are just south, in Florida.

It is very easy for someone to get turned around. The terrain, creeks, swamps, small lakes....... just to get around one of those can mess up your sense of direction. The undergrowth is sometimes so dense, you cannot penetrate it at all.

No one should go into that sort of area without folks k knowing where they are going. Cell phones don't always work back in the scrub either.
A map, compass, GPS unit, and a full pack of 'what if' stuff is needed.

Water, food, shelter, comfort and protection/safety. Leave any of these out, and you might not make it back.

Personally, I don't see any foul play here. I have known a lot of folks that got disorientated and lost in the swamp. It can happen to almost anyone. There are many examples of folks in distress becoming careless and not using their heads.
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You're right, it can happen to almost anyone. You would think that a 15 year old boy would be in better physical condition than his step father, but nowadays, some kids are not. People need to respect the wilderness. It can take any of us any time.
 
Very sad... Like others said, something don't sound right... I wouldn't leave any child, regardless if he was mine or not, alone and cold in the woods.... Very poor judgement if not just neglect..
 
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