Relying on instructions he received before a Cub Scout hike in a rugged forest in southern Colorado, a lost 8-year-old boy huddled against boulders after sunset Friday.
The boy, who had become separated from a Manassa Cub Scout group during a hike about 6 p.m. Friday, was found suffering from slight dehydration Saturday morning.
He had started walking back toward the trailhead at dawn when rescuers on horseback spotted him, said Patrick Montoya, coordinator for the Conejos County Search and Rescue team.
“There were a lot of emotional people when the boy was found,” said Montoya, who added that divers were preparing to search in the nearby Conejos River. “The boy is at home with his mother and father.”
The Cub Scouts were on an overnight camping trip at the Elk Creek state campground at Cumbres Pass when they set out on a short hike, Montoya said.
The boy got separated from the others and became disoriented, Montoya said. He walked until it was dark, trying to find his troop.
But at night, instead of continuing to walk in the dark, he found shelter near a fence and some boulders.
“He found a safe place for shelter and stayed put through the night,” he said. “He’s a very brave little boy.”
The boy didn’t hear the rescue team that grew to about 50 people through the night. People were yelling his name and crisscrossing the mountainside.
People were searching for him on foot and in ATVs, he said.
When asked later whether he heard people calling for him, the boy said he was exhausted from the hike and fell asleep. He didn’t hear anything, Montoya said.
In the morning, the boy walked back in the direction he had come from and was discovered, he said. He was only about a quarter mile from the trailhead.
“He was tired and a little dehydrated,” Montoya said. “Not bad.”
The name of the boy was not released.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-820-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
