But never for 27 hours.
A few weeks ago Jon went to a multi-stake encampment (Scout Camp). He and three other leaders, along with 19 scouts (including 3 from our Spanish Branch we served in until recently), set out to go on a day hike. It was supposed to take just a few hours and cover a few miles.
Unfortunately, even with a map and GPS, they got off track. At one of the forks in the road, one of the signs is not marked correctly, and so they took the wrong path. By the time they knew where they were, they were too far out to make it safely back. Turning around would have meant hiking in the dark (no flashlights). They had also crossed a river, and some boys had lost their shoes (leaders shared their shoes). So they decided to stay the night near a lake. They started a fire and gathered enough firewood to stoke the fire all night. They had water, but no food, but thankfully they all had each other and prayers for safety.
It was cold. They slept close to the fire, and some of the embers popped out and singed Jon's hiking boots.
Other leaders back at camp sent out search parties, but they didn't find them that night. Thankfully they decided not to call and tell a pregnant wife (me) that Jon was missing. The search party met up with them all the next morning. Besides being hungry and tired, they were fine. Those boys definitely earned a few merit badges!
Jon came home that afternoon, looking quite dirty and run-down. His toes looked like a car ran over them (they had walked around 20 miles on their detour). It was quite an ordeal, but everyone made it home safely.
Here is the story in the Yakima Herald-Republic: http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2010/6/26/scouts-hike-turns-into-overnight-in-the-woods.
It's funny to think that I never had to worry about him because I had no knowledge of the incident until it was over. But the entire time Jon was gone at Scout Camp, we prayed at every meal and bedtime that daddy would come home safely. And he did.
1 comment:
Hey my sister-in-law was telling me about this. I think her brother was suppose to go on that hike but he was to lazy or something. I am glad your hubby got home safely.
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