Salt Lake County search and rescue teams saved a hiker stuck in Little Cottonwood Canyon’s Lisa Falls after a three-hour mission on Friday, resulting in no injuries.
The hiker contacted authorities after climbing down an off-trail cliff that he expected would bring him down to Lisa Falls, according to the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue organization. When the hiker did not feel safe returning up the steep, wet ledge by himself, he sat down and called for help. Initially, he called the police’s nonemergency line but called back so they could trace his GPS.
The police soon dispatched the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team, a volunteer group that they oversee, according to Sgt. Melody Cutler of the Unified Police Department.
The search and rescue team set up a rope system and lowered a rescuer to help lead the stuck hiker up to safer ground, offering him a harness and a helmet.
“He wasn’t injured at all, he was just cliffed out,” said Cutler. “He was hiking down rocks that were probably above his skill level. He went off-trail, and he was unable to go up or down. It’s important for people to know their skill level.”
Authorities also say hikers need to be prepared and anticipate weather conditions before hiking off trails.
This was the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team’s 65th mission of the year, according to their Facebook page.
The weather conditions added to the difficulty of the trail. The rock was wet from drizzle on Friday, making it harder to scale.
“This is the time of year when we have people start to go hiking on a beautiful day, but when they go out on their hike, the sun goes down quickly,” said Cutler. “And then it gets very cold very fast.”
To be prepared in the future, she encourages hikers to wear appropriately warm clothes, keep a fully charged cellphone, and have proper lighting in case it gets dark. The United States Forest Service also recommends traveling with a buddy, testing your equipment, learning basic first aid and trying to finish your hike before dark.
