Kids give wilderness survival advice

The young Utah scoutâ€™s survival is being called "miraculous", especially since he did exactly the opposite of what survivalists might instruct a lost child to do. <br/><br/>News on 6 anchor Tami Marler

Wednesday, June 22nd 2005, 11:00 am

By: News On 6

The young Utah scoutâ€™s survival is being called "miraculous", especially since he did exactly the opposite of what survivalists might instruct a lost child to do.

News on 6 anchor Tami Marler is back from camping with some survival advice from kids.

When you sign your kids up for things like summer camp, you never know the valuable information they might be picking up. The Utah scout said a prayer and stuck to the trail. Some campers in Oklahoma say they have a few more tips.

A lazy summer day at Camp Takatoka and there's not a care in the world. Not when you have 320 acres of meadows, lake shore, water and woods to while away the hours. When you're a kid, though, there are a few concerns.

Tami Marler: "Do you miss your Mommy and Daddy?â€

Torrey Fore: â€œyeah but I don't really miss my brothers."

Tami Marler: "Why?"

Torrey Fore: "because they're really annoying at home. I mean I love 'em a lot but it's sometimes nice to be away from 'em for a week or two."

But when Torrey Fore and her fellow campers are out in the wilderness, they have bigger pests to worry about, besides boys and the slimy things they might dig up.

Camp Takatoka has a "don't touch the wildlife" policy, but earthworms aren't really that wild. Sara Mitchell: "we just don't want anyone trying to like touch em and get stung or pick up a lizard or a snake or something like that and get bitten. So if it's moving and its nature, you can look at it but don't touch it."

Summer camp is a great place to have fun and fellowship with your friends. But it's also a great place to learn about nature. The things to stay away from and the thing that could save you in an emergency. Amelie Rode: "the berries, well we can't eat 'em because they can be poisonous and they can make us really sick."

Camp Takatoka kids are required to stick together, but Director Shawn Jenkins says they know what to do, in case one gets separated from the group. "Basically they need to stay where they are and wait for someone to come to them. And if they hear if they're over water and they hear a boat coming or if they hear other counselors, you know to shout out to them and we'll come get them and the worst thing is to continue wandering off, they need to stay absolutely where they're at."

Camp Takatoka is affiliated with Tulsa's YMCA. It's on Ft. Gibson Lake in Wagoner County. They have "Survivor week" coming up in July, where campers will learn to build shelters and solve problems in the wild.