Hendricks said temperatures probably hit 95 degrees during the day in the area. He said the youths, who had plenty of food and other supplies and were camped near a spring, were "in great spirits and level-headed. They did the right thing."

Before Hendricks spotted the boys, a park service plane was dispatched out of Page to fly over the area.

"The lost Scouts heard the airplane go over. They put out an orange tarp, built a fire for smoke and flashed a pan (for reflection), but the plane did not see the boys," Redd said.

Bennion 8th Ward Bishop Rod Dean, who was on the trek with other leaders and the youths, acknowledged Tuesday an oversight on the part of the ward in not filing a tour permit as required by the Great Salt Lake Council, Boy Scouts of America.

Council spokesman Kay Godfrey said the council did not know about the missing youths or the search effort until they were contacted by the Deseret News.

"The Scouting skills they exercised were certainly life-saving skills," Godfrey said. "They were certainly smart things to have done, but the smartest thing they did was to return to a known campsite that had water and then stayed put."

Dean said he's grateful the boys were found alive and well.

"It's a miracle. They did exactly what they had to do, to stay put. They went back to where they knew there was water," the bishop added. "We are grateful for the efforts of everyone who was involved in searching for the boys."