On September 22, 2011, I had the tremendous privilege and opportunity of leading five people into The Wave at Paria.
That evening, I had the tremendous burden of following four people out.
The trip from Washington State was tremendous, with gorgeous scenery and pleasant fellowship. The three of us met the other two in Kanab, Utah, and drove 30 miles east, then turned and drove 8.2 miles on a rock (dirt?) road to the trailhead. We slept there overnight, and left at 7 AM, as soon as it was light enough to walk over the cobbles in the river bed. The five-mile walk to The Wave was also pleasant, helped by my having been there once before.
The Wave is as beautiful as ever, although the delicate sandstone ledges have been worn off by people in the last three years. I had prayed for a reflecting pool, and although there wasn’t one at the base of The Wave, there were five higher up. I can hardly wait for the slides to come back.
After lunch, we agreed to meet at 1:30 at the entrance, to begin the walk back. We should depart with about 2 quarts of water per person, and 1:30 was when we would be that low. At 1:00, one of us, who will go un-named, decided that he could visit the Second Wave, and “I will be back in 15 minutes”. Thirty minutes later, we began our search for him. Did I mention that we had three rules? 1. Take at least 1 ½ gallons of water, each, 2. Stay in sight of the group, and 3. No shortcuts.
We searched for four hours, shouting his name, using my whistle, and getting six other hikers involved. No sign of him. At least, every drop-off into the 800-foot deep the canyon had undisturbed sand at the lip, so if he went down, it was under his own power. When we were down to one quart of water each, I made the most difficult decision of my hiking career. Staying and dying of thirst would do him no good, and if we returned to the trailhead and then to Kanab, we could get a search party together.
We left after four hours of searching.
I was so tired from hiking that long that one of us had to carry my pack as well as his.
When we got to the trailhead, someone shouted that his pickup doors were open. Elation soared. Until we saw that it was some one else’s pickup.
He was still missing.
A French couple had walked past us on the trail out, and notified the Bureau of Land Management. The initial search party passed us on the dirt road. We told them everything we knew, and drove to Kanab, Utah. After notifying the other authorities, and his wife, we were told to stay in town for the night. One agency said to be at the trailhead at first light, and we could join the search. Another agency said, no, stay in Kanab and do not join the search.
They had guns so we did not argue much – that night.
The compromise the next day was that we could be at the trailhead at 10:00 AM.
The Search and Rescue helicopter, and several hiking search crews, were at the trail head when we arrived. Other hikers, including the other tourists, had left and were searching. But, the helicopter had been out twice during the night, and now the search had been on for four hours of daylight.
No sightings.
And the SAR crews told us that one hiker had already died this year, from dehydration. Couldn’t they have kept that tidbit of information to themselves?
The last two of us to see our friend carefully described where he was last seen, and pointed out on the topographic map where he was likely to be. 1. Within ½ mile of his last location, if he was injured. 2. Just past the Second Wave, and then climbed to the top of the canyon. 3. After climbing to see landmarks, he might be at the top of The Wave.
The last was the hardest place for hikers to get to, so the helicopter headed to the top of The Wave.
We briefed other search crews as they were ready to depart.
At 10:30 AM, the radio crackled with “subject located”. The SAR incident commander put the radio on that signal only, and we waited. A few minutes, later the call was “subject getting into helicopter”. We all asked, does that mean under his own power? That was quickly confirmed, and the searches were recalled while I broke down.
My only tears before that were when the French couple asked whether it was hard, abandoning our friend. I said, grimly, that I have never abandoned anyone in the field, and I am not abandoning him now. We are going to find him at the trail head, and if he isn’t there we will get together a search party. We WERE NOT abandoning him.
Now that I knew he was safe, I wept openly, and so hard that two search crews asked if I needed help. No, I was just overcome by emotion, and that emotion was good.
To Coconino County Search and Rescue: Thank you.
To the Marine on the helicopter crew: Thank you. This Navy man has a greater respect for the USMC. Long may you proudly serve.
Especially to God: Thank you. Only You could save his life. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You.
Our friend described his experience, and does not want any one to think that he was lost. He merely had trouble locating the rest of us.
He returned to The Wave fifteen minutes after he left us, but we were not there, and it was not The Wave. He decided to try the next small canyon up, and when we were not there, he tried the next canyon up.
Eventually, he went up high enough to spot land marks in the permit photographs, but from that high they were not recognizable.
It seems the he started a canyon or two too high and went still higher.
He was found on top of The Wave, about 1,000 feet above where he needed to be.
Because I broke my vow and carried more than enough food for my lunch – an extra 1 ½ pounds of smoked salmon – he did not eat his six boiled eggs for lunch. So, with some peeled prickly pear cactus fruits, he had a decent dinner, and a small breakfast. He got under a ledge to avoid the wind and increasing cold, but about 10:00 PM he began shivering. About that time, we got him on several prayer chains, and the temperature where he was went up. He stopped shivering, and got a good night’s sleep. Mind you, Kanab Utah in one direction and Page Arizona in the other direction dropped down to 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 53 degrees. Several thousand feet higher elevation, he should have been colder – about 32 degrees. A seventy year old man, even though experienced in wilderness travel, might not have survived those temperatures.
He also rationed his water, but still ran out. He found another reflecting pool, and drank about 1 ½ quarts. Those pools are only found there about every third year, and only briefly then.
So he had food, water and warmth – every thing he needed to survive, yet all three should not, naturally, have been there.
God answered our prayers, and our friend is alive!
And he is now home, working on his roof. No ill effects from drinking the surface water, no excessive tiredness, and in good health.
God is good. All the time.
Thank You, LORD Jesus Christ!
