A hiker was trapped in a precarious spot on top of a “hoodoo with a sharp point and catastrophic fall on all sides”In Utah, rescuers said.
The 60-year-old man injured his ankle and jumped from a 5-foot chasm onto the rock tower — and then was unable to get back across the gap, Grand County EMS and sheriff’s search and rescue officials said in a May 10 Facebook post.
Rescuers shared a dramatic photo showing the hiker trapped in the mushroom-shaped tower at Pucker Pass in Long Canyon around 3pm on Saturday, May 4. Another photo shows a rescuer wearing a helmet and strapped into a harness as she carefully crawls up a ladder attached to both sides of the ground with ropes to bring medical equipment to the hiker.
The rescuer tended to the climber’s injured ankle and he was able to crawl back up the ladder to safety, authorities said. The rescue took about three hours.
“A big thank you (Grand County Search And Rescue) for your leadership, technical skills and unparalleled creativity in patient access,” officials said in the post. “As we head into another beautiful weekend here in Moab, remember: just because you see a photo of it online doesn’t always mean it’s the best idea.”
The post caught the attention of a social media account known as @TouronsofYellowstone on Instagram, which highlights bad behavior in national parks.
“How (horrible) and sad,” someone wrote in the comments of the account’s May 11 Instagram post. “I can’t go to that park. People do the scariest things!!!! Every step of the way people practically fell off the catwalks taking selfies. Hanging your feet from drops of over 2,000 feet. I was sick. Just horrified.
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