Lost hiking party found near Bell Smith Springs

Sheriff's deputies and firefighters have gotten to know the forest around Pope County this summer.

Pope County Sheriff Jerry Suits said almost weekly deputies and firefighters have been called to assist in finding lost hikers. The latest lost crew was reported about 6 p.m. Wednesday with five adults and three children lost in the Bell Smith Springs area.

"We got them located about 8:30 p.m. about a mile inside the forest. They could not find their way out," Suits said.

Suits notified Pope County Rural Fire Department, Pope County Emergency Management Agency, Shawnee National Forest Law Enforcement, Johnson County Fire Protection District. A crew involving an ISP trooper and Johnson firefighters first discovered the lost party after a series of text messages and phone calls between searchers and the hikers.

"They were dehydrated, especially the kids," Suits said.

Pope County Ambulance treated the hikers for dehydration and none required hospitalization.

"It was scary last night with young kids and it being close to dark," Suits said.

The number of lost hiker calls - most centered around Bell Smith Springs - is becoming a growing concern for Suits.

Hikers have given several reasons for their losing their paths. Some have said there were not adequate trail markings. Suits said some forest users tear markings down. Some people leave the trail. Some take side trails and can't figure out the route they used getting in.

"The number one thing I'm worried about is it getting dark and they go off in a hole or down an embankment," Suits said.

About a month ago a hiking group from Herrin stayed lost overnight. The search party quit the search at midnight for safety and then located the hikers early the next morning.

"Those people had walked about 10 miles from where they had parked their car," Suits said.

Suits said those in trouble are not limited to the inexperienced. One woman who became lost was a well-experienced hiker who had been in the area many times and was very emotional when located.

"She said she had totally lost her confidence," Suits said.

Suits believes the frequency of lost people this summer has to do both with the growing popularity of the Shawnee National Forest, an economy that has people vacationing closer to home and an unseasonably mild summer so far. July and August are normally uncomfortable times to explore the Shawnee, but there have been many pleasant days for a forest jaunt this summer. Wednesday night Suits was struck by the number of out-of-state plates in the parking lot.

Suits makes a point of getting to Bell Smith Springs on July 4, one of the most popular days of the year for the canyon of cool, spring fed streams.

"My first three years on July 4 there were maybe 10 to 20 cars by noon. This year there were 50 to 75 there at the top of the steps," Suits said.

Maps are available at the Shawnee National Forest Headquarters in Harrisburg and at the Ranger Stations Monday through Friday. Ordering information is available at the Forest Service Web site at www.fs.usda.gov/shawnee and the Friends of the Shawnee National Forest's Web site http://snffriends.org/

Several area horse camps also have maps for sale.

Saline County Sheriff's Office has spent its share of time in the Shawnee this summer also, with three parties lost in one weekend in the Garden of the Gods Wilderness.

Saline County Sheriff Keith Brown asks people with global positioning systems to take them. There are also GPS apps for phones. Vehicle GPS systems powered by batteries can also be taken along. Not only can the devices help people stay on track, but if they do become lost they can show the latitude and longitude so emergency crews can locate them quickly.

Hikers should be sure their phones are fully charged before venturing out. Phone reception is sporadic through the forest and batteries can drain quickly as the phones search for a nonexistent signal. Some hikers turn off their phones to conserve batteries so the phones will be functional when needed.