“I asked God to send angels,” Eric Valentine told the Idaho Statesman. “He sent me the Boy Scouts.”
An 80-year-old freelance photographer was found by a Boy Scout troop after falling 60 feet in the Hells Canyon.
Eric Valentine was hiking in Hells Canyon and taking pictures when he lost his balance and fell down a 60-foot slope, according to the Idaho Statesman.
After Valentine fell, a former Boise firefighter’s wife spotted him crawling and notified a Boy Scout troop that happened to be in the area on a canoe trip, the Idaho Statesman reported.
The former firefighter there with his wife was able to work with the Troop 77 members to help Valentine while they waited for EMS to arrive, Advnture reported.
“I asked God to send angels,” Valentine told the Idaho Statesman. “He sent me the Boy Scouts.”
It took a boat ride and a helicopter ride for Valentine to finally get to a hospital but once he was there he underwent surgery for his injuries, according to Advnture.
Valentine sustained a fractured neck, cracked tibia, broken ankle, and three broken vertebrae in his neck due to the fall, Advnture reported.
The 80-year-old hiker is recovering from surgery and is expected to be able to go home to La Grande Oregon soon, according to the Idaho Statesman.
“We are incredibly proud of how our troop was able to handle this situation and grateful for the opportunity to help Mr. Valentine in his time of need,” Boy Scout Troop 77 said in their most recent newsletter.
