Boy Scout Troop Rescues ‘Struggling’ 78-Year-Old Man Lost in the Wilderness: ‘Literally Couldn’t Walk On His Own’

A Boy Scout troop is being recognized after helping rescue a 78-year-old man who was lost in California’s wilderness.

Troop 26, based in Santa Barbara, was on the fourth day of a six-night trek in the High Sierra north of Yosemite when they discovered the man alone near Long Lake in the Emigrant Wilderness on Aug. 6, according to the Los Angeles Times, KTLA, and the Santa Barbara Independent.

The man, Douglas Montgomery, had fallen into a lake and injured himself. After spending the night resting, he attempted to head home the next day but went miles in the wrong direction. He had also lost his backpack, which contained food and a GPS-enabled communicator, the outlets reported.

“Being cold all night made it impossible for me to walk. I had to wait for the sun to come and hit me before I could walk,” Montgomery told the L.A. Times. “I was getting colder and colder. And that’s when [Troop 26] came along.”

Montgomery, a former Scoutmaster, had been on a two-week solo backpacking trip.

“He just looked like — basically looked like a homeless guy,” Scoutmaster MJ Hey told the SB Independent. “He was struggling a bit. He literally couldn’t walk on his own.”

Hey, who is trained in Santa Barbara Search and Rescue, called in a helicopter rescue. While they waited, the Scouts shared food and electrolytes from their supplies and helped Montgomery warm up in the sun.

About three hours later, a California Highway Patrol helicopter arrived from Fresno and airlifted him out.

Montgomery was flown to Kennedy Meadows, where a deputy reunited him with his family, according to the SB Independent.

“I’m an Eagle Scout from Troop 10 in Burlingame,” Montgomery said. “We took Scouts into the Emigrant Wilderness for about 20 years, starting in 1963.”

He added that backpacking was his “first love” and emphasized the importance of teaching young people “how to live in the wilderness.”

Speaking to the L.A. Times, Hey said the rescue shows the importance of preparation.

“It’s a powerful lesson on the importance of being prepared for the perils that can so readily happen in the wilderness,” he explained. “And no matter what situation you’re in, you [should] always have your [survival] essentials.”