Injured hiker faced 'catastrophic drop' atop Utah hoodoo before heroic rescue
The injured man was found stranded on a hoodoo with a “sharp, catastrophic drop on all sides" near Pucker Pass at nearly 6,000 feet elevation.
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MOAB, Utah – An injured and stranded hiker found himself in a perilous situation thousands of feet atop a Utah hoodoo during a rescue mission that lasted nearly three hours.
The Grand County Sheriff's Search and Rescue and the Grand County Emergency Medical Services were called to Pucker Pass in Long Canyon on May 4 to assist a man in his 60s with an injured ankle.
The injured man was found stranded on a hoodoo with a "sharp, catastrophic drop on all sides" near Pucker Pass at nearly 6,000 feet elevation.
(Grand County EMS)
When authorities arrived, the injured man was found stranded on a hoodoo with a "sharp, catastrophic drop on all sides," Grand County EMS said in a social media post on Friday.
Rescue teams rigged ropes and a ladder to span the approximately 5-foot gap to the top of the hoodoo.
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Rescuers used ropes and a ladder to reach the top of the 5-foot gap at the hoodoo.
(Grand County EMS)
The Grand County EMS said an EMT then carefully crawled across the span to reach the waiting patient. She then secured the man with a harness, helmet and ropes before attending to his injuries. The patient was then able to use the ladder to cross back safely.
At 5,849 feet above sea level, Pucker Pass is renowned for its scenic beauty.
(Grand County EMS)
"A huge thank you to GCSAR for their leadership, technical skills, and unparalleled creativity to access the patient," the Grand County EMS said.
Pucker Pass is a steep, unpaved mountain pass located just south of Moab, at 5,849 feet above sea level, renowned for its scenic beauty.