MOAB, Utah, Aug. 27, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — A woman and her dog caught were caught in a flash flood and carried 150-200 feet down Mary Jane Canyon before being rescued Thursday night.
The woman used her iPhone to send an emergency satellite SOS, which was received by emergency dispatchers at 7:22 p.m., Grand County Sheriff‘s Search and Rescue stated on social media Sunday.
“The standard text message with the service simply stated that the person with the device needed assistance,” the post says. “It contained geographic coordinates, but no information about the nature of the emergency.”
The sheriff’s office sent a team of hikers to start up the canyon to attempt to locate the person, and a Classic Air Medical helicopter flew to the location about 3.5 miles from the trailhead, the post says.
The helicopter then flew down the canyon and spotted the woman and her dog about two miles downstream from the original coordinates, according to the sheriff’s office.
“The helicopter was unable to land in the canyon, but the crew relayed her position to the SAR ground team,” the post says. “Rescuers reached the woman about 1.5 miles from the trailhead at 9:25 p.m. She was uninjured.”
The woman told rescuers she heard the flood waters coming and tried to get to higher ground, according to the sheriff’s office.
“She reached a sand bank above the creek with her dog, but the rising water eroded the sand, sending both her and the dog into the flood waters,” the post says.
The woman said she received a text message that the emergency message she had sent had failed, according to the sheriff’s office.
“Believing that her SOS had not been transmitted, she began hiking down the canyon barefoot with her dog,” the post says, noting the woman lost her shoes during the flooding.
“Rescuers stated she was ‘covered in mud from head to toe’ when they reached her,” the post says.
A search and rescue volunteer loaned the woman his shoes, and they all returned to the trailhead, according the sheriff’s office.
The Grand County Sheriff’s Office advises hikers to plan routes thoroughly.
“Know the specific type of terrain you will encounter. Check local weather forecasts on the day of your trip. Thunderstorms build quickly and can flood canyons from many miles away,” the post says.
