Boy Scout uses training to survive night alone in woods

UTAH -- A 12-year-old Boy Scout was forced to use his training to survive a night alone in the deep woods of Utah.

He built a crude structure he learned about at Boy Scout camp last summer - and deputies say it worked - protecting him when temperatures dipped below freezing.

The Boy Scout motto "always be prepared" rang true this weekend when 12-year-old Jared Ropelato got separated from his scout group in the rugged back country of northern Utah on Friday.

Even though 200 people were searching for him, Jared spent 20 hours alone in the woods. Dressed in just jeans and a T-shirt, he spent the night scared and alone with temperatures falling to 31 degrees - that's when his training kicked in.

"At scout camp they taught us how to build a lean-to so we can stay warm," said Ropelato.

A lean-to is a survival shelter straight from the Boy Scout manual. Jared built one out of tree branches and covered himself with mud to stay warm. Jared's mother spoke out on the ‘Today Show.’

"I didn't know that he would be able to do that. I knew he was a smart kid, but I didn't know, I didn’t know if he would do that,” said Dawn Ropelato, Jared’s mother.

Officials say the structure saved him from the elements, allowing rescuers to find him Saturday morning about four miles from where he first got lost.

"I am elated. I can’t even believe it. I think I’m happier than I’ve ever been,” said Dawn Ropelato.

"I’d just like to say thank you for all their help that they gave. I was just glad that I could hear them and they could hear me,” said Jared.

Originally Jared was told by a scoutmaster to walk with another scout from the lake back to camp. Jared never got a buddy to walk back with and that's how he got lost.

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