Any effort is a help for a family that's lost a child, she said.

Up the road, Bardsley family friend Debbie Wilson sat on the step of a horse trailer crying with her head buried in her hands while her husband Steve comforted her.

It's a hard day today, Debbie Wilson said with tears in her eyes. Stroking her hair, Steve added, It kind of all hits home again. To know you're leaving a little kid out in the woods. It's devastating.

Sunday was the last day search-and-rescue teams were scheduled to traverse the rugged Uinta Mountains where 12-year-old Garrett was last seen fishing with his father 10 days ago. The Boy Scout was on a three-day camping trip near Cuberant Lake with his troop when he got his shoes wet on the morning of Aug. 20 and headed back to camp to change. He hasn't been seen since.

Over the course of the last 10 days, thousands of citizen volunteers and rescue teams from across Utah have scoured a three-mile area near Cuberant Lake and other outlying areas in hopes of finding the young boy. The only item found was a sock recovered last week, which may not even be Garrett's.

I actually think the sock is his, Summit County Sheriff Dave Edmunds said Sunday. That's my gut feeling, but I can't confirm that.

Sunny skies and warm temperatures made searching easier Saturday and Sunday, following several days of heavy rain and near-freezing conditions.

Despite the good weather, Edmund described the mood of the searchers on Sunday as somber.

It's pretty sobering to come up here and not be able to find a thing, he said. It's frustrating for the searchers and it's frustrating for the family. The only way I can categorize this is as a horrible, horrible tragedy.

Garrett's parents and his brothers once again accompanied search crews in trying to find their son and brother, Steve Wilson said. Garrett's grandparents also joined a Department of Public Safety helicopter crew in scanning the Lake Cuberant area from above.

I think we feel the same sense of urgency every day, said Wilson. To go in there and think this is the last day to make an organized search is tough.

David Cope, of Bountiful, brought his wife and children to help in Sunday's search. I have kids this age," he said, and it just makes me sick to think this could happen.

Cope said he realized finding Garrett alive after such a long time was against the odds. Most of us just want to know we've done what we could, he said.

Even though rescue teams will not be returning today to resume the search, Edmunds said a limited search will continue. The Bardsleys are expected to continue searching for Garrett on a more limited basis as well.

I don't think they'll be back up Monday, Edmunds said. I've talked to the family and they understand they have to get on with their lives at some point . . . A search like this is extremely devastating for the family and it's extremely devastating for us as well. Their loss is many times greater than ours.

Summit County Search and Rescue Team training exercises eventually will resume in the rugged terrain near Garrett's last sighting. The Sheriff's Office also plans to post his picture at trailheads and remind hikers and campers to keep a lookout for the boy.

We're never going to completely stop searching, Edmunds said. Even if it takes years.

jbergreen@sltrib.com