Cooped Up? Get Uncooped.

The three Boy Scout Leaders and eight 11- to 14-year-old Scouts of Troop 217, from Raleigh, N.C., did exactly the right thing on Sunday, after becoming lost in the Pisgah National Forest southwest of Asheville.

As light faded, they settled down to await the morning rather than stumble around in the darkness and make matters worse. They would find their way out Monday morning, a day late, but happy, healthy and unhurt.

If only one of their cell phones had been able to get a signal out, the national news media wouldn’t have had to storm the area in search of their latest tragedy.

To be fair, some of the people standing in front of the cameras did note the possibility that the Scouts knew what they were doing and likely would be just fine, but generally after running down the list of possible negative outcomes.

Unfortunately we’re not seeing any follow-ups by those same national media that might help the next lost group of campers or hikers.

First rule of survival in a lost situation: As soon as you realize you are lost, STOP. Get as good a reading as you can on where you are and exactly what your circumstances are.