Santa Barbara-based Boy Scout Troop 26 stumbled upon an experienced 78-year-old outdoorsman, a former Eagle Scout himself, battling hypothermia after losing his gear and wandering 15 miles off his intended route in California’s Sierra Nevada, according to multiple media reports.
Nine members of Troop 26, all around the age of 12, were about halfway into their foray into the Emigrant Wilderness with Scoutmaster Michael James Hey and four other adult leaders, the Santa Barbara Independent reported.
The troop, each carrying 40-pound packs, set out on their journey on Aug. 2, navigating their way around alpine lakes and through meadows while learning all the skills taught to generations of Boy Scouts before them…