In the end, Nathan Baker became an Eagle Scout in the same way every other Boy Scout does — and that’s the remarkable part of his story.

His father and Scoutmaster both admit they did not expect the 17-year-old Cary resident to succeed. After all, only a tiny fraction of able-bodied Boy Scouts become Eagle Scouts, let alone someone like Nathan who has severe disabilities.

Nathan did get help, but it was the kind of help Scouts are allowed to give. Indeed, the way the members of Troop 393 treated Nathan is arguably the essence of what the Boy Scouts are all about.

The Green Hope High School junior first joined the Scouts in 2005, after seeing a Scout ceremony at East Triangle Church of Christ in Morrisville, where that troop is based and where Nathan and his family are members. He quickly made it clear that he wanted to be an Eagle Scout, the highest rank a Boy Scout can attain.

To say Eagle Scout was an ambitious goal for Nathan would be an understatement. He is severely impaired in his hearing and speech. He has had cerebral palsy since birth and, though he can walk, needs braces on both legs and walks an uneven gait.

Eagle Scouts must earn 21 merit badges and complete a long list of physically demanding tasks, including a 20-mile hike. The rank can take several years to earn and few Scouts have the physical ability, mental stamina and perseverance to do it.

But Lil and Tracy Baker decided to let their son try. They had seen him succeed against the odds before.

They first began to realize Nathan’s potential for physical tasks after he took part in a study at UNC-Chapel Hill in 2005. Nathan surprised everybody by being able to maintain a slow jog on a treadmill for a half hour. After that, they let him join the cross-country team at Green Hope High School.

“We don’t know what Nathan’s potential is,” Tracy Baker said. “But we’re not going to limit him. We’re going to let him set his own limits.”

The Bakers sought only one exception for Nathan because of his disabilities — they got permission to extend the period of eligibility for Nathan to receive the Eagle rank to his 20th birthday. Generally, Scouts must attain the rank by their 18th birthday.

Nathan’s initial challenges came as much from other Scouts as from his physical limitations. “Kids can be cruel,” Tracy Baker said.

Mitch Loudermilk, son of Scoutmaster Mike Loudermilk, was among those who took Nathan under their wing. Mitch remembers an incident at summer camp in 2005 at Camp Durant when Nathan fell down and kids from another troop laughed at him.

“Hey, that’s not part of Scouting,” he told the other boys. He was right; among the requirements for the Eagle rank is that Scouts demonstrate adherence to the Scout Law, which among other things calls for them to be kind, courteous and helpful.

“Once Mitch and Colin [another Scout] set the tone, the other boys got the message pretty quickly,” Tracy Baker said.

Another challenge was that Nathan could not keep up with the rest of the boys during hikes. In addition to the 20-mile hike, five 10-mile hikes were required. In a hike in May 2005 at Falls Lake, the boys came up with a solution — they would let Nathan lead and would go at his pace.

Boy Scout rules do not specify how fast the hikers have to go, so this was perfectly OK.

But it was not OK with some of the boys in the troop, which includes members from inside and outside East Triangle Church. Some kids did not slow down for Nathan, recalled Tim Rominger, 14.

“Those kids thought that they were big and cool,” Tim said, adding that those Scouts eventually left the troop. “The world didn’t revolve around them and they finally noticed that,” Tim said.

Although Nathan’s physical capabilities lagged, at times his will was stronger than the other boys’. One of the tasks he had to do was rappel down a 40-foot tower. At least two boys were too scared to do it, troop members recalled.

Nathan climbed the ladder to the top. It was difficult for him to get into the correct position to rappel, however, because of the lack of flexibility in his legs. A staff member helped position him, but at one point Nathan was leaning so far back that his head was lower than his feet. He was screaming at that point.

Rudy Rowell, one of the troop leaders who was there, remembers the scene as “unbelievable.” It seemed as if they almost had to throw Nathan over the top of the tower to position him.

But Nathan completed that and every other required test. He received his Eagle rank on Jan. 24 — before his 18th birthday, like every other Eagle Scout.

He is grateful for the help he got.

“I feel I could not have achieved it without help from my family, friends and God himself,” he said.

Tim Rominger — one of the boys who was afraid to rappel down the tower — said the troop learned a lot from Nathan’s persistence.

“He inspired a lot of us,” Tim said. “He was this disabled kid and he went out and got it. That’s pretty cool.”