Joining the Boy Scouts offers numerous benefits. Not only do these young men learn character development skills such as leadership and responsibility, but they also gain practical life skills. Those life skills include activities such as camping, outdoor pursuits, self-resilience, and confidence-building. It also teaches people how to be team players and helps them navigate the challenges of the workplace. Recently, a Boy Scout Troop showed off their skill and hard training when they rescued an elderly backpacker lost in the California wilderness.
Boy Scout Troop Rescues Elderly Backpacker Lost In California Wilderness
Getty images by Robb Reece
Boy Scout Troop 26 of Santa Barbara, California, entered the wilderness as if it were an ordinary day. The Emigrant Wilderness in the Sierra Nevada range is considered a challenging terrain. Yet these Boy Scouts were prepared for the challenge. However, one thing they were not expecting was to be part of a rescue mission — particularly that of a former scoutmaster. OutdoorLife spoke with one of the troop's leaders, who shared details from the day's events. M-J Hey, Troop 26 scoutmaster, shared that the Boy Scout Troop encountered the man on the fourth day of their journey.
Additionally, he argued that there were numerous "red flags" regarding the man's well-being. "The biggest one was how confused he was," the scoutmaster shared. Despite his politeness, the man appeared disoriented and was about "15 miles off course" in his estimation of his location. More upsetting, Hey shared that the former scoutmaster shared he had bumped into other hikers during his time stranded in the wilderness. While many offered him directions, none offered him assistance. Hey shares, "More than anything, I was upset to hear that. He was anxious and concerned. He was in a bad spot."
Boy Scout Troop To The Rescue
Luckily, this Boy Scout Troop was here to stay. Rather than provide more directions, the troop rescued the elderly backpacker who had gotten lost in the California wilderness. They started by placing the former scoutmaster in the sun to help him warm up. Then, they gave him some electrolyte drinks to assist with his hydration. Afterward, Hey got down at eye level and told the man the words he most wanted to hear. "We're going to be here with you to make sure you are rescued, and we are confident you are in a safe place. You are safe, Douglas. It's okay," Hey said. Three hours later, after the troop called for help, a chopper came and retrieved the former scoutmaster. He has since made a full recovery.
The Importance Of Wilderness Survival Skills
Hey shared with OutdoorLife that he wanted this moment to teach his Boy Scouts the importance of their skills. Needless to say, they got the message. Additionally, the former scoutmaster, identified as Douglass Montgomery, also utilized his survival skills. Montgomery was a former Eagle Scout and scoutmaster, and he definitely pulled on his experience when he was lost in the California wilderness. He had been on a two-week solo trip when he fell into a lake.
Afterward, he was disoriented, and his plans were derailed. In the process, he lost his pack, then got lost in the wilderness. Now he was in a perilous situation, cold and dehydrated; he needed to think fast. Rather than panic, the former scoutmaster used the forest around him to keep warm. When speaking with the Santa Barbara Independent, he shared, "I crammed myself between several lodgepole pines and covered myself with loam." Also, he shared that he kept himself busy by "tweaking the loam over parts of my body that were exposed to the air." These survival skills definitely helped to keep him alive until the Boy Scout Troop found him and rescued him from the California wilderness.
