Unsung Hero: She rescued a fellow hiker during a family vacation
July 16, 2020
Allow me to append four words to the Scout Motto: “Be Prepared. Because others sometimes aren’t.”
On Jan. 2, 2020, Leah Jo Maloney and her family were on a guided hike to the top of Mount Liamuiga, a volcano in the Caribbean country of St. Kitts and Nevis.
Though this hike wasn’t part of a BSA adventure, the trail offered the kind of challenging terrain that well-prepared Scouts crave. The 3.47-mile path promised a steep, muddy ascent through the jungle.
This group of strangers was woefully unprepared. Only six of the 32 hikers — Leah Jo, her sister, her mom, her dad and two others — wore hiking boots. And only one hiker carried a first-aid kit; by now you can probably guess who.