Hiking in the wilderness is all fun and adventure—until you find yourself stranded. That’s exactly what happened to a father and his 12-year-old son in Utah this month. But just when things seemed dire, fate intervened in an unexpected way.
As temperatures dropped and the reality of their situation set in, they stumbled upon an abandoned backpack. Inside? Everything they needed to survive the night—water, blankets, flares, and even a small tent.
It wasn’t just luck. It turned out the pack belonged to 15-year-old Levi Dittmann, who had been rescued from the same area just a month earlier. Instead of carrying everything back with him, Levi left behind the survival kit he’d put together, unknowingly preparing for a future emergency.
When he found out his gear saved the stranded hikers, Levi called it “pretty cool.”
Moral of the story? A well-prepared hiker can save not just themselves—but others too.
