As a Southern Adventist University backpacking class was exploring Middle Tennessee’s Savage Gulf State Park last fall, the group encountered a hiker with a leg injury on a steep, rocky section of the trail. The hiker was unable to walk, so four students stayed with him until a park ranger arrived.
As sunset quickly approached, Jonathan Moats, senior nursing major; Tanner Moran, junior nursing major; Grayson Noble, junior electrical engineering major; and Eric Wolf, junior mechanical engineering major, realized how difficult it would be for the ranger to transport the hiker alone. The foursome volunteered to help, taking turns bearing the hiker’s weight and lugging heavy hiking backpacks up the steep trail.
“The students were very helpful with carrying out the injured hiker, and we thoroughly appreciated their efforts,” said Todd Childress, ranger at Savage Gulch State Park.
“It’s really cool how God put us there just at the right time,” said Moats. “If we were a bit earlier, we never would have seen the hiker, and the ranger would have had to help him alone. If we’d been any later, we would have been struggling after dark. Even in the worst of situations, God still works things out just perfectly.”
Florida | July 2026
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