Buddy System

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

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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.

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