Show i Scouts Scout's mom tells how fear turned to joy J. J Michael Kennedy Los Angeles Times There were moments terrible terrible terrible ter ter- ter- ter moments when J Jody dy Hawkins thought that her son could not have survived The terrain was too rugged In four days of combing the Uinta Mountains for Brennan Hawkins thousands of searchers hadn't come across a clue It was as if the 11 year-old year had vanished What hope Brennan's mother did hold onto came from what had not happened Instead of the typically biting biting biting bit bit- ing nighttime chill temperatures tempera tempera- tures had been warm in the The predicted rain held back giving rescuers a chance to cover more ground On Tuesday a Salt Lake City house painter named Forrest Nunley opted to take the day off and join in the search After driving his all all- terrain vehicle far into the back country around Lily Lake Nunley was surprised to see Brennan standing in inthe inthe inthe the trail cold and dehydrated but apparently unhurt On Wednesday Brennan was home with his family here in Bountiful a small community north of Salt Lake City In the middle of the afternoon the wide-eyed wide boy stood in front of the television television television tele tele- vision cameras but let his parents and older brother do Lost Scout Continued on Page 11 Lost Scout Continued on Page 12 the talking Hes doing very well said Brennan's father Toby Hawkins Hes very tired but playing with his brothers and friends The drama began Friday ata at ata ata a scout camp located at the east fork of the Bear River Brennan a Cub Scout was in ina a harness practicing wall climbing when the dinner bell sounded His friend went ahead back to camp but Brennan apparently became disoriented and walked the wrong way He was reported missing a short time later and the search began Summit County Sheriff Dave Edmunds said that one of the difficulties in finding Brennan was that he may have been hiding from rescuers rescuers rescuers res res- res- res cuers because he had been taught not to talk to strangers He didn't approach any- any he thought he might be abducted Edmunds said We were just baffled about how we weren't finding him A number of scouts have become lost in the Utah wilderness over the years Most were found easily But last year a year old boy named Garrett Bardsley disappeared disappeared disappeared dis dis- dis- dis appeared and has never been found Jody Hawkins said that she was at the search command post Tuesday when she was told to go to a nearby dirt road She waited alone fearing fearing fearing fear fear- ing the worst Then she was told that her son was alive and well Nunley told the Deseret News of Salt Lake City that when he came upon the boy and asked for his name Brennan was the reply The boy was flown to Salt Lake City's Primary Childrens Children's Medical Center where he was diagnosed as being mild mild- ly dehydrated and suffering I from chapped lips and a bruised ankle He was released a few hours later On Wednesday afternoon Jody Hawkins was sitting on the back porch of the family's I tidy brick rick house Out front I there was a media mob scene 1 with television cameras lining lining lining lin lin- lin- lin ing the street Just down the 1 way a huge banner said Welcome Brennan The Heavens are Open The 1 entire front yard was festooned festooned festooned fes fes- fes- fes with yellow balloons Jody said that her shy boy made it a habit each morning morningto to tuck his legs under a T T- shirt while he ate breakfast He did the same thing in the wilderness she said in an effort to stay warm He told me it was freezing at night she said as friends and relatives came in and out of the house He told me his biggest fear was to be stolen In this situation that was a detriment to him Mm She said the searchers were mostly rough-looking rough men who drive their their their- V AT-V s for hours then returned at the end of the day with tears in their eyes because they had hadnot hadnot hadnot not been able to find Brennan But I told them they had helped by narrowing down where Brennan wasn't she said As one day extended into the next without a trace of Brennan Jody said her confidence confidence confidence con con- that he was still alive began to flag She said her instincts told her that Brennan had not been kidnapped I didn't know if he was alive but I knew noone no noone I one was harming him she said sipping from a bottle of water Jody also said that her family's family's family's fam fam- ilys ily's Mormon faith had played a major role in sustaining sustaining sustaining sus sus- them during the crisis She said the same was true for many of the others who were combing the wilderness Edmunds said that on athers ather's Day more than volunteers showed snowed up to help ome of them driving hun- hun of miles to join the search earch Its pretty typical of Utah le ie said Its amazing how nany people came out of the woodwork Jody lody Hawkins pointed to the he lack of rain as a sign that Brennan was being looked after while he wandered through the mountains of northern Utah Each day she said forecasters predicted rain common for this time of year And each day storm clouds gathered but no rain fell Then on Tuesday afternoon afternoon afternoon after after- noon with Brennan safe the storm clouds again began to form Within a half hour I is was pouring she said You could barely see out the windshield |