Authorities mounted a highly techinal rescue using a helicopter and ropes. Photo: Grand County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue // Facebook
The smallest slip can rapidly turn a hike into a life or death struggle. That’s exactly what happened to a family in Utah this week, when a fall down a canyon prompted local authorities to mount a technically difficult rescue.
The family of four was in the Moab area for spring break, where they had been touring on off-road vehicles. According to a social media post from Grand County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, they rode into Pritchett Canyon, then decided to park and walk around. Though the area is only about five miles from Moab, the trail is so rough that it can take as long as three hours to navigate.
Over the course of the hike, one parent and the child began to pull ahead. During that time, the parent got too close to the edge and fell. Nobody actually saw the fall occur, but the child heard screaming, then rushed back to the other parent to alert them of the incident. They promptly used the satellite function of their iPhone to text 911.
A massive response was mounted by Grand County Search and Rescue and EMS. Getting to the area necessitated the requisitioning of a medical helicopter, which authorities were able to land around 150 yards from the accident. From there, it required a technical rope rescue to reach the patient, who had fallen 70 to 80 feet, tumbled another 50 feet, then become lodged in a sandstone gully.
“As for the reason for the rescue, no one saw the patient fall,” wrote Grand County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue. “The cliff edges in many places around Moab are deceptive. They slope gently from the top at first and quickly progress to vertical. It is not known what led up to the accident or what/if anything could have prevented it.
“So many of us enjoy the wilderness that surrounds the Moab area. The ubiquitous advice to ‘Be Careful’ is sound and sometimes bad things happen to good people. GCSAR wishes the family the best of luck moving forward.”
