Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. However, one would assume that heroic acts are often done by adults, and while that may be true for most people, youngsters are also just as capable. To be a hero, you’d need heart and courage, which is exactly what one boy demonstrated.
Children in school are often given the choice to join the boy or girl scouts. These little ones are often times seen selling cookies and other goodies for charity. They are also trained on first aid. They’re capable of going on a hike and facing a variety of emergency situations.
Dave, a young boy scout, learned about so many things, and he had the good sense to remember everything that was taught to him. Here’s his story…
For a family, it was just the start of their nightmare. What started out as an adventure turned to a frightening experience. They got lost on a hiking trail. They had no water and they had an injured dog with them that they just couldn’t carry anymore carry. Fortunately, this family had fate on their side. They ran into a boy scout who saved them from what could have been a bitter end.
JD, Aimee, and their dog, Smokey, wanted to go on a two-mile hike. It was supposed to be short, but because of circumstances, the day had become a seven-mile disaster on the Waimanu Trail that’s just above Pearl City, Honolulu. Even worse was that their phone had died and the light had slowly started to fade from the sky. They were stuck and they didn’t know what to do.
Right then, they met 12 year-old David King and his mom, Christine, on the way. “We asked ‘oh do you need any help?’ They said ‘yeah,’ they showed us the dog’s paws had some cuts on it,” David said as he spoke to the local reporters. He further shared, “When the dog would walk, it would just be really painful.”
At this point in time, David was just three miles short of getting his much-desired 15-mile-hike merit badge. He had also played a soccer match earlier in the day, so he was quite tired. However, David did what all boy scouts do: he helped someone when they needed him most.
The couple needed to get to safety, but they needed to do something about the dog first. So, he suggested that they make a stretcher. They used two lengths of wood. They then strung their -shirts across it to serve as a bad. This was a technique David had picked up from his eagle scout older brother.
“It was his idea to make the stretcher,” explained Christine. “We didn’t think it would work because we didn’t think the dog would get onto the stretcher. Smokey was just happy to, and we just carried him out.”
Someone (many believe it to be David) knew the way back to the parking lot too. So, they collaborated as a team and worked together. They took shifts in twos and fours just to get Smokey to safety. The dog had also sensed how tired they all were, and despite his injuries, he would occasionally hop off from the stretchers to give the tired hikers a chance to get a breather.
David had been hailed as their savior. He was later given the chance to talk to KHON2 News about what had happened. He told them that when you’re off on a hike, a good way to be ready for anything is to imagine what could go wrong. Once that’s done, you can then properly prepare for it.
Good job, David, and we hope that you’ll inspire others to follow in your footsteps.
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