Between Christmas 70, and New Years 71. Boy Scout winter camp out, at a campground about six miles out of town. We hiked out and got camp set up on the 27th. Overnight it dropped to 30-below, with gale force winds. Wind was high enough that the tent lines were snapping. Frost bit a few fingers retying one on my tent. Litttle AHs I was sharing the tent with wouldn’t get out of their bags, and stand upwind as a wind break.
About 0900, the Scout master decides we should break camp and hike back to town. The older guys helped the younger ones break camp and get packed, before we packed up our gear and headed out. Teh younger kids were sent back in groups of three, with instructions to stop at the Methodist church that sponsored the troop, sign a check in sheet, and call their folks for a ride home. One kid left his group of three and went straight home with out stopping to check in. We got back in with the Scout master and Earnie hadn’t checked in. The Scout master called his folks, and hey hadn’t seen him. We got snowmobiles and went back out to look for him. Searched until dark, with no joy. His parents had come to the church to wait for the searchers to come back in. Next morning we met the Sheriffs Search and rescue guys at the church, had a pancake breakfast, and we went back out to look for Earnie.
Earnie had gone home and gone to bed. When his folks were at teh church worried sick about him, he got up fixed himself a snack, and gone back to bed. After his folks left for the church trhe next morning, he had gotten up, had a bowl of cereal and spent teh day watching tv.
Meantime, I’m out in the subzero getting frost bit on my nose, ears, cheeks, and six toes. His folks went home at the end of the day we spent searching, and there he was on the couch.