A Young Man Lost
Park Chief Ranger Steve Kloster was truly worried. He’d been through many searches, but this one was odd. He became suspicious that he hadn’t been given all of the details.
Source: lifedaily.com
Everyone knew that as the days dragged on, the chances of finding Austin alive narrowed. Kloster kept studying the map to figure out where the boy could be. He had questions regarding the involvement of the boy’s stepfather. The stepfather did step forward with details, but not until Austin had been missing for a while. What was going on?
A Regular Hike on a Regular Day?
That morning, Austin and his stepdad Hubert Dyer Jr. figured it was a good day for a Smoky Mountains hike. They knew that the hike could be tricky if the ground was wet. But there was usually no rain this time of year, so without much concern, they took off.
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As experienced hikers, the two knew that one had to be aware of their surroundings at all times. They’d heard stories of hikers becoming disoriented among the trees and scrub. But they were hiking together, so they had no concerns about becoming lost.
It Wasn’t Just a Hike
Austin and Hubert weren’t just hiking, though. They were looking for a specific plant that was quite valuable and grew in a particular part of the trail. They knew very well that taking anything from a national park was against the law but decided to chance it, hoping to make some quick cash.
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Hubert and Austin thought it was worth the risk of stealing the plant and selling it, figuring they might even come back for more if the income was as good as they’d heard.
Hubert Slips and the Story Begins
At one point, walking near the creek where they hoped to find the plant, Hubert stepped on a wet rock and tripped. As he stood up, he lost his glasses; they fell right into the water flowing just below them. He shouted to Austin about what had just happened.
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Austin hurried to Hubert, and both immediately knew that Hubert couldn’t continue without his glasses. The territory was so full of scrub and rocks that Hubert would likely fall and hurt himself. So Austin just followed his instincts and jumped into the water to fetch the glasses.
Hubert’s Mistake
Austin began to search for the glasses, and then Hubert joined him, carefully wading to help with the search. That was Hubert’s mistake. He should have stayed where he was while Austin searched.
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Without his glasses, Hubert didn’t notice that he was actually moving in the opposite direction from Austin. Austin didn’t notice where Hubert was walking because he was also intent on finding the glasses. Later, when telling the story, Hubert became teary thinking of that moment.
Hubert and Austin Lose Each Other
Hubert was so focused on looking for his glasses and watching his steps that he didn’t realize he’d lost sight of Austin. When he finally looked up to see where Austin was, he didn’t panic right away.
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Hubert assumed they’d meet up again as they moved back to their original starting point. But as Hubert started to walk back, he realized it was difficult to trace his steps without his glasses. He shouted to Austin several times but didn’t hear a reply. Later, when reporting this moment to Park Chief Ranger Steve Kloster, Kloster became suspicious about the story.
Hubert Delays His Report
Hubert did report Austin’s disappearance to the Park Ranger’s office, but only two days after the incident occurred. This was one of the first questions Kloster asked Hubert. Why was there a two-day wait?
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The hike started on August 11; the incident was reported on August 13. This raised Kloster’s suspicion; there was something that Hubert wasn’t saying. Nevertheless, following this type of report, the first step is to send out a search party. Kloster was certain that Austin would be able to provide the missing information.
The Search Team Goes Out
Over 100 searchers went looking for Austin, along with several canine units. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency also sent up several helicopters to comb the wilderness, looking for any clue to Austin’s location.
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None of the searchers reported even a glimpse of the young man. Austin had simply disappeared. The search continued in searing hot weather for many hours and days without even one sign of life. Park Ranger Kloster, however, was certain that Hubert was not telling everything he knew.
Search Area Combed
Kloster knew that time was growing short. While the weather remained warm and there was no danger of him freezing, Austin had gone days without food. Kloster’s biggest fear was that Austin had fallen, had some other accident, or worse. So he studied the map again.
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The searchers were looking through close to 7,000 acres of wilderness, so Kloster asked Hubert again to help pinpoint exactly where he had lost sight of Austin. What was strange was that Hubert wasn’t exactly sure where they had become separated.
Finally, A Clue
After ten days, Chief Park Ranger Kloster was growing impatient with Hubert’s responses and asked him to come back for another interview. This was clearly a matter of life and death. The last thing Kloster wanted was to call off the search and claim it a failure.
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Kloster’s instinct proved correct. When Hubert returned to the ranger’s office, he finally offered the one piece of information that proved vital. Everyone wondered why the man had taken this long to come forward.
The Most Important Clue
Under questioning, Hubert provided the life-saving clue; he and Austin had gone hiking to find the rare ginseng plant that grew near a certain water source in the park. They planned to break the law by stealing and selling the plant.
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Kloster knew Hubert was telling the truth and hoped that the one critical clue hadn’t come too late. He quickly called some local guides who he hoped would know exactly where the plant grew. This was their last hope.
Finally, There’s Hope
It was everyone’s last hope. If they could find the area where the ginseng grew, they had a chance of finding Austin. All of the searchers were hoping for the best outcome and prayed they’d find him soon.
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The Chief Park Ranger felt better knowing that Hubert had not harmed Austin in any way and that the two had just become separated. Austin was young, in good shape, and had access to plenty of water; these facts were on Austin’s side. Nevertheless, eleven days is a long time.
One Last Try, But Would It Work?
In his 20-year career, Chief Ranger Kloster had never carried out a search in the Smoky Mountains area for this long. He had sent out many searchers for the past 11 days, who had found nothing. If this last try didn’t work, would he be forced to call off the search and assume the worst?
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Kloster was committed to carrying out this one last search. He told the team to follow the guides’ instructions and go near the areas where the ginseng grew.
Austin is Found and Tells His Story
The one last try was successful! Amazingly, the searchers did find Austin, who had managed to survive for 11 days and had no idea that anyone was searching for him. As Kloster assumed, Austin knew quite a lot about living in wilderness conditions and made good choices about how to survive during his ordeal.
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Austin knew he had to avoid becoming disoriented or dehydrated. He also used good sense in climbing to higher ground so that he could see the area and, hopefully, searchers could see him.
Cellphone Let-Down
When Austin realized that he and Hubert had lost each other, he used his phone but couldn’t get a signal. He climbed up to higher ground, hoping to be able to call someone for help.
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But even on higher ground, Austin couldn’t get a signal. He really wanted to talk to his mom, as he had become worried about his situation. When he realized that plan wasn’t going to work, he had to come up with another plan that would help him survive.
Plan B: Survival
Austin knew that fresh water was the most important thing to have. So he had to reach the creek’s source, where the freshest water would be. He trekked carefully and followed the creek to the bottom of the mountain.
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He found the drinking water and felt better. But the hike from the top to the bottom of the mountain had disoriented him. Now he feared that he would be harder to find if people came looking for him.
Disoriented and Scared
Austin started walking in hopes of finding some way back to civilization. But after a few days of hiking, he felt even more lost. He didn’t know if he was deeper in the park or would find a road over the next hill.
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All he was sure of was that he had to keep moving in order to stay alive. So he kept walking, deeper and deeper into the mountains. Austin never was quite sure which direction would be more or less dangerous. His nerves were frayed.
Worried about Himself and about His Mom
At the end of each day of hiking, Austin was bone-tired. He knew he needed sleep but was afraid that some animal would approach him at night. He needed to keep strong but felt weaker and more disoriented every day.
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He hadn’t been able to find any food and often thought about his mom and her wonderful meals. Thinking about his mom reminded him how worried she must be about him. After a few days, he stopped feeling hungry and assumed his body knew that food was not coming.
The Searchers Weren’t Even Close
Austin never heard the voices of the searchers calling for him or the helicopters overhead. He wasn’t near any water source where boats were looking for him and didn’t hear the K9 dogs barking.
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Then, on the eleventh day of his ordeal, he finally heard a helicopter and was thrilled that someone was looking for him. His only thought was how to let the searchers know where he was. He had to come up with a plan and do it fast.
Helping Them Find Him
During all those days of searching, the searchers and Austin had been frustrated – neither could find the other. After he saw the helicopter, though, he saw a boat and some kayaks in the river.
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He scrambled down the mountain as quickly as possible. Then, as weak as he was, he gathered his strength and called out. The kayakers looked up when they heard Austin and knew they’d found the missing teen.
Finally, they could bring him home to safety.