For those that haven’t been following the missing persons search, the Forest Service has reported that the last of the scouts have been found.

As you may know, the first batch of scouts were found hiding out in woodshed just outside of town, having been scared away from their camp by noises from a party.

Hours later, four other boys were found at the trailhead, hanging out next their scoutmaster’s van. “In a rescue situation,” Kelly Greer, 14, said, “You stay with the vehicle if possible. We set up around the van, and uh, and cause we didn’t have the keys. Uh, so we built an emergency lean-to against the side of the van, uh and light emergency fires, and began to divy up rations…” for what could amount to a long wait before rescue.

Fortunately for the boys, Abraham Ansari, whose house sits across the street from the trailhead, was suspicious of the campfires, and worried that “…maybe hippies come to camp [in the parking lot] there instead of in woods like normal people.” He called the police and the sheriff, but as the trailhead is situated in one of those numerous jurisdictional anomalies at the edge of town, neither came. So, Mr Ansari did what any good citizen would do and took the law into his own hands. Armed with a pot of coffee and a flashlight, he confronted the boys and, learning of their situation, brought them into his home and reported them found to the police.

The remaining boy, Francis Wobb, was found just this morning near the quarry. He initially lept out from his hiding place near the old rusted Buick, brandishing a makeshift spear and snarling at rescue workers. He was covered in small wounds consistent with a badger attack. He is currently being treated at the regional medical center and Fish and Game are hoping to interview him soon about when happened.

Only the scoutmaster is still missing. One hopes that, as a scout and male role model, he is well versed in the ways of the forest and will be at home in the kind and welcoming heart of the Oregon woods. You really hope he isn’t just scoutmaster because none of the other parents were willing to do it. The faithful among us might even pray that his backwoods experience wasn’t merely gleaned from “extreme outdoorsman” television shows.

As always, the Forest Service is keeping us up to date on the search, but until you see it here, assume no news is good news.