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- An experienced hiker was rescued from quicksand in Arches National Park over the weekend.
- Rescuers used a drone to locate him and traction boards to free him.
- Officials advise carrying emergency contact devices for safety.
MOAB — Grand County Search and Rescue said an experienced hiker who became trapped in quicksand over the weekend did everything right, and still needed help.
Incident commander John Marshall said crews were called early Sunday to Courthouse Wash in Arches National Park. Using a drone, they spotted a hiker who was stuck knee-deep in cold quicksand for hours. By the time rescuers arrived, he couldn't feel his leg.
"He described it as like being in a ski boot, how your ankle is bent forward and it's in that forward position," Marshall said. "He found it painful to try to sit back and lean back out of it, which is a method that you can use to extract yourself."
A park ranger first reached the hiker and gave him a shovel, but he couldn't dig himself out.
Search and rescue teams used a ladder and traction boards to create a stable platform and dig faster than the sand and water could refill the holes. Eventually, he was pulled to safety.
"She reached down, grabbed him by the heel and was able to pull as they were shoveling and got him to be freed," Marshall said. "So it went pretty fast once we got on scene."
Marshall said the hiker nearly collapsed when he tried to stand. Emergency crews treated him with hot packs.
"In a moment of pride, says you know, 'I'm going to go ahead and walk myself out,' and so he darned his own path, and he walked up to the rescue vehicles," Marshall said.
Quicksand encounters are rare, but not unheard of in the area. Rescuers recalled a 2014 incident where a 78-year-old woman was stuck thigh-deep for 14 hours.
"She was buried much deeper," Marshall said. "She was in mid-thigh level. Both legs. And she was stuck there for a good long while. She had the fortitude, she grabbed a stick, something of a sizable dimension and was able to kind of put it under her."
Officials said hikers should carry a device that can contact emergency services. The iPhone 14 and newer iPhone models offer satellite texting for emergencies.
"Sometimes people resist dialing 911 and just wait until their problem is dire, rather than simply dialing that 911, getting the help they need on the way sooner, rather than waiting until it becomes a real emergency," Marshall said.
