A 12-year-old boy scout used his skills to rescue a lost couple and their injured dog on a trail in Hawaii.
David King was on his way back from a 15-mile hike near his home in Kailua with his mother, Christine, trying to win a Hiking badge when they came across a couple, lost on the road worn and tried to help their dog Smokey, in August.
“We met them when we were about two to three miles away on the hike,” David told CNN. “It wasn’t clear (that something was wrong), but then the dog was on the ground, and we asked if they needed anything and they said yes.”
The couple ran out of water and their phones died, plus Smokey’s foot was cut off from the trail and he couldn’t walk, David said. The couple tried to get it out, but the blue-nosed gaur weighed almost 100 pounds.
Christine said the couple ran the risk of getting stuck on a trail in the dark, so they shared their source of water and thought of ways to get people out.
That’s when David harnessed his Scouting skills to save the day and created a stretcher to carry the dog, a skill he learned from his brother when he earned his First Aid badge. .
“So we got a big tree branch that had fallen recently and broke it in half, and then we put on a shirt,” he said. “We had to try a few times because the dog didn’t really want to continue.”
The group worked together as a team to get to the parking lot safely.
“To help someone use my Scouting skills makes me feel accomplished because it shows I learned something and it wasn’t all in one ear,” says David. ,” said David.
The two watched the pair and everyone, including Smokey, made a full recovery.
“Our hiking is a bit tough, you can do it ‘easy’ and suddenly you’re on a mountainside,” she says.
David says to prepare well before you go hiking. He believes everyone should have at least what the Boy Scouts call the 10 basics: a pocket knife, a first aid kit, extra clothes, a raincoat, a flashlight, extra food, extra water, fire essentials, sunscreen and a map of the area (preferably with a compass).
“Always listen to the instructions and what you’re learning in class,” adds David.
.
