Troop leader Don Leever became extremely ill while hiking with eight Scouts this month in Colorado. Leever figured it was altitude sickness, and he continued to push himself. But, after four days, he could no longer stand or walk. He couldn’t keep down food or water, so the Scouts made a quick decision to evacuate their leader.
Using trekking poles and bear rope, the Scouts fashioned a stretcher. After the Scouts and other chaperones carried Leever partially down the mountain, paramedics met them. They discovered that Leever’s blood sugar had risen to dangerous levels, and he was airlifted to a nearby hospital.
“They led me like a little puppy dog and put me on the stretcher,” Leever told The Houston Chronicle. “They were carrying me, and it was pretty awesome to see everybody sharing the load — and not a word of complaint.”
I’m very proud of all of my friends that saved our Scoutmasters life. Congratulations, this is what we train for.