A 64-year-old man from North Carolina was injured in a fall during a solo hike in a remote section of Canyonlands National Park last week. Unable to walk, he faced long odds, since no one was aware of his plans or location. What followed was a tale combining grim determination and alert work by rangers.
The saga began when Amos Richards attempted to hike in and out of Lower Blue John Canyon via the entry and exit route between West and Little Blue John Canyons. During the trip, he fell approximately 10 feet trying to gain the wash bottom, suffering extensive leg trauma in the process.
A serious injury anywhere in this vast expanse of Utah canyon and desert country is always a cause for concern, but Richards was faced with some extra challenges. The location of his mishap was near an area known as the Maze District, which is described as "the least accessible district of Canyonlands. Due to the district's remoteness and the difficulty of roads and trails, travel to the Maze requires more time, as well as a greater degree of self-sufficiency. Rarely do visitors spend less than three days in the Maze, and the area can easily absorb a week-long trip."
Richard's injuries were serious enough that he couldn't bear weight on his right leg, but he was hiking alone, and no one else was aware of his plans or his location. As a result, it was unlikely that anyone would be aware of his plight and began a search. In a remarkable tale of determination, Richards began crawling back across the rough desert terrain in an attempt to reach his vehicle.
His grueling effort would last for the next three nights and four days. The hiker reportedly had no overnight gear, warm clothes or a map, and it rained on him several times during his crawl. The only good news may have saved his life: he had taken five liters of water and two power bars with him on his hike.
This was a situation that could easily have ended sadly, but Richard's prospects began to improve when rangers in the park's Island in the Sky District noticed that a campsite in the Willow Flat campground appeared to be unoccupied and abandoned.
That campground is many a lonely mile from Richard's location in the Maze, but investigation by the rangers led them to believe the visitor may have headed for that vicinity.
A search was begun and Richards was spotted from a helicopter in the area of Little Blue John Canyon, just outside the park’s boundary. The victim was flown to Moab Regional Hospital, where he was treated for leg fractures, internal injuries, trauma, and dehydration.
A park spokesperson says Richards is expected to make a full recovery.
Comments
Good thing the search costs didn't amount to too much. I can see how too many people this could bankrupt the state park system. Of course tea partiers would just say "leave them out there to die, problem solved", but the rest of us would like to think that two and a half world wars has taught mankind something...
P.S. Nothing here is "gratuitous" so no need to edit ;-).
It's good to hear about people going for it. Self sufficiency is aa blessed feeling as is crawling your way to help. Its a shame they had to pull out the helicopter when he was obviously on his way out anyway. Getting 'picked off' is never a good ending to a trip story but at least he tried. Congrats!
To some people it is worth the risk. Not everyone cares to live in a pampbered bubble of surburban coddling. Clearly this man could handle himself, unlike 90% of people who have no survival instinct whatsoever.
I was reading about this in a UK news site and they posted Jim's photo as the victims. Looks like they took it right off this webpage.
There's a different wrinkle, but not sure it's the way I'd prefer to get some international exposure :-)
Glad you made it out Jim. Those who can't understand a solo hike and its merits of self-reliance can die inside their cocoon. I'm tackling Courthouse Wash in Arches solo in a week just because I can, and I can't wait! Cheers!
How many self-righteous, narrow-minded people, blathering about irresponsiblity, do we have to listen to, every time a solo hiker gets hurt? Some people venture outside of the box on occation. And that is perfectly OK. When you go solo hiking, you take personal responsibility for your safety. You assess the situation and your capabilities, and ponder worst-case possibilities before heading out. Mr. Richards apparently thought he was up to the task. And, apparently he was! Solo hiking is no more stupid, and a whole lot safer, than getting into a car, and driving the LA freeways.
I thought that I would never get lost or injured. That always happened to someone else. I found out different. The worse part about this whole thing is the worry and pain I caused my family and friends. It was very inconsiderate and selfish of me to think that my actions wouldn't have an impact on others. I think that it is my responsibility to pay for all the cost of the search and rescue.
The Utah Highway Patrol pilots that found me, the local lawenforcement personal, and the park service personal that perticipated in the search were some of the nicest, most careing people tha I have ever met. The park service guy that was in charge of the search was increditable. He was very young but had exceptional skills and ability to do his job. He is a very likable person that has true compassion and concern for people. When I first talked to my family and friends after my rescue, the first thing they said was that they were glad I was ok. The second thing out of their mouths was what a great guy the park service person was that was in charge of the search and how good he was at doing his job. He had talked to each one of them in his investigation. Once I was found, he personally called each one of them to let them know that I was ok.
I can't thank all the people that were involved in my rescue enough.
I have learned several lessons. "It can happen to me" and that it is my responsibility to see that it doesn't happen again.
(I had a GPS with me with plenty of spare batteries and I was following the exact path out that I hiked in)