It’s great when you can read stories with a good ending: Ranger: We have our missing Boy Scout

Park rangers escorted a weak and dehydrated 12-year-old Boy Scout out of the rugged North Carolina mountains on Tuesday, four days after he wandered away from his troop’s camp site.

Michael Auberry was brought the final distance by SUV, then carried into a ranger station, where a medical team and his parents met him.

“We have our missing Boy Scout,” said a jubilant National Park Service spokeswoman Tina White.

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“Probably the most important thing we heard on the radio is A-1, which means he is in good condition,” she said.

The radio communication from the search team that found Michael set off a celebration among leaders of several Scout troops waiting for news about the boy. “A lot of tears, a lot of hugs,” White said, and members of Michael’s church joined hands to pray at the staging area.

Excellent news.

This probably played a part as well:

While the weather has been chilly, White said Michael was wearing two jackets, one of them fleece.

As a Scout, Michael had had some wilderness training. His father also talked about one of Michael’s favorite books when he was younger, a story about a boy whose plane crashes in the wilderness, and how the boy survives on his own.

“I think he’s got some of that book in his mind,” Auberry said. “They do a great job in the Scouts of educating the kids of what to beware of and tips. I’m hopeful that Michael has taken those to heart.”

I’m sure we’ll find out more in the days to come. But for today let’s enjoy the great news.

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First, here’s the story:

Bear killed after biting Boy Scout

SPRINGVILLE, Utah – A black bear that bit a sleeping Boy Scout through the wall of his tent was shot after it later returned to the camp, authorities said.

Colton Stewart, 14, woke up early Wednesday to a burning sensation in his upper arm, then realized it was a bear biting his arm through the tent, state wildlife officials said. He pulled away and heard the bear run off through the brush.

“It wasn’t biting viciously. They put their mouth on things to see what they taste like,” said Anis Aoude, regional wildlife manager for the state Division of Wildlife Resources. “In this case, there just happened to be a kid’s arm on the other side of the tent.”

The bite wasn’t serious, but camp officials notified the state, which sent a game warden to the Adventure Park Scout Camp in central Utah.

I’m glad everything turned out OK (well, if you’re not the bear, that is). Still, I’m waiting for the followup stories:

ACLU Sues Boy Scouts for Killing Bear

The state chapter of the ACLU has brought suit against 14 year old Colton Stewart, his Boy Scout Troop, and the BSA, Inc. over the civil rights violations inflicted on this poor innocent bear.

“The number of atrocities committed are unprecedented”, an ACLU spokesperson said, “The bear was excluded from the activities of the group, a clear human rights violation. We believe it was because the bear was homosexual.”

PETA Decries Killing Boy Scout Bear

Come on. You know those stories are just waiting to be written. Add your own headlines in the comments.

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