Author Cathy Hufault points out the area where the Boy Scouts were lost.
Jay Mathews
Author Cathy Hufault returned to SaddleBrooke in February. This time she met with The Wednesday Girls, a local book club which was formed some ten years ago and which meets in the homes of members.
Assisted by her husband John, Cathy used a video and slide presentation to discuss her book Death Clouds on Mt. Baldy which relates the story of three Tucson Boy Scouts who were lost in the Santa Rita Mountains during a record breaking blizzard. The quest to find the boys became the largest search and rescue operation in Arizona history as searchers faced up to seven feet of snow and sub-zero temperatures.
The search ended in tragedy with the three Scouts losing their lives. Cathy is a sister of one of the Scouts who survived and was a classmate of the 16 year old Scout who saved three lives.
Fifty years later, Hufault decided to undertake an investigation of what had occurred. In researching her book, Cathy walked trails in the Santa Rita Mountains and interviewed over 100 people in her quest to find out what really happened. What she learned and related to the book group was well received and met with great interest.
This is the third time that Hufault has appeared in SaddleBrooke in the past year. The first was last February when she was invited by the Golden Eagles, a group which supports the Boy Scouts in our area, to relate her story at a public meeting at the HOA 1 Clubhouse. The second was at another SaddleBrooke book club in January.
Attending the discussion with Cathy were Nancy Harling, Linda Hartman, Lois Kelly, Marianne Lyons, Marty Reimers, Roberta Williams and Judy Stanard. All are longtime members of The Wednesday Girls.