GRAND COUNTY, Utah, Aug. 15, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A man and his dogs were rescued in a two-day ordeal after the five dogs were trapped on a ledge, then he, too, became stranded while trying to save them in Mary Jane Canyon.
A helicopter and a technical rope rescue team were called in to finally get them all off the mountain, the Grand County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team said in recounting the adventure online Thursday night.
Events began Monday morning when the 64-year-old started following his dogs from near Warner Lake in the LaSal Mountains.
Late that day, he located the dogs trapped on a ledge on the north side of Adobe Mesa. Unable to rescue the dogs that night, he returned to Adobe Mesa the next morning to retrieve them. His plan was to travel with the dogs down to Professor Creek and meet his partner at the Mary Jane Canyon trailhead.
“He and the dogs worked their way down numerous ledges to the creek in Mary Jane Canyon by Tuesday afternoon, but became stranded on two separate ledges upstream from the popular waterfall that is the destination for most hikers in the canyon.”
This section of the canyon is known as the Professor Creek Canyoneering route, with walls towering about 100 feet above the creek, SAR explained, “He activated his satellite messaging device for assistance.”
SAR responded to the trailhead while Classic Air Medical was dispatched to locate the subject and advise what might be needed to access him.
“With the threat of thunderstorms and flash flooding Tuesday afternoon, it was decided to use the helicopter to transport a Technical Rope Rescue team from the Mary Jane Canyon trailhead out to the canyon rim above the subject and his dogs.
“The subject was raised 80 feet out of the canyon just as a strong thunderstorm hit the area and rescue efforts had to be paused until the weather cleared.”
After the storm passed, the SAR team made visual contact with the dogs downstream and the five dogs were rescued in three separate 150-foot raising operations.
“They were placed in a crate and accompanied by an attendant during each raise. The dogs, subject, and all rescuers and gear were then flown back to the trailhead.”
The 10-hour SAR operation was completed at about 1 a.m. Wednesday.
