GRAND COUNTY, Utah, Mar. 20, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — In what turned out to be an 8-hour high-mountain adventure, six Arizona residents and their dog were rescued from the Polar Mesa area.
The group became bogged down in mud and snow trying to traverse the Thompson Canyon trail in heavy precipitation, according to a Monday night social media post by the Grand County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team.
Vehicles initially became stuck in deep mud “and one of the men called his wife in Arizona, asking her to call for help,” according to the press release. The group then attempted to continue up the trail by winching the lead vehicle forward with the others following in its path. “They eventually got stuck in three feet of deep snow about six miles from the Castleton-Gateway Road and were unable to move.”
By 5:37 p.m. Wednesday, Mar. 15, Search and Rescue was dispatched to the scene. Two Argo Extreme Terrain Vehicles were staged at the upper end of the trail at about 8,500 feet elevation, in case access from the lower end of the trail was unsuccessful.
A Search and Rescue team member volunteered to take his personal vehicle, a six-wheel-drive Pinzgauer all-terrain military utility vehicle, to make an attempt from the lower end of the trail at about 6.000 feet. “He was successful in reaching the group after pushing through over a foot of sloppy mud for many miles. He was able to transport the group and their dog back to Moab.
“If he had been unable to reach the group, the rescue would have taken much longer since multiple trips would have been required with the smaller-tracked Argos through challenging conditions.”
The Search and Rescue team offered a safety tip: Thoroughly research your planned trail. Do not rely solely on social media or online maps that may not show seasonal road closures. Inquire locally about road conditions. Consider the current and forecast weather in your decisions. Always carry survival gear.
