Kane County Search and Rescue always willing and ready

by Rod Willis, Kane County Sheriff's Office

The Kane County Sheriff''s Office has received multiple calls for search and rescue this season. Kane County Search and Rescue is pictured in Tom''s Canyon answering one of those many calls. Photo by Rod Willis.

Kane County Sheriff’s Office has received numerous calls for search and rescue recently. On July 29, a call came in from an individual who was caught in a rainstorm while hiking the Tom’s Canyon trail. The hiker attempted to find a faster way to avoid the storm when he became ledged up. After attempting to lower himself, he called 911. Kane County Sheriff’s Office and Kane County Search and Rescue responded to the scene. The SAR team located the hiker and conducted a technical rope rescue in order to get the hiker back to safety.

On August 6, a call came in from a female who stated her husband was missing in the lower Dry Fork area just off of Hole in the Rock road. The female said she and her husband became separated after he informed her he was hiking back to the trailhead while she and the family continued through Peekaboo and Spooky Gulch. The family returned to the trailhead later to find that the husband was missing.

The family decided to drive back to Escalante due to them being out of water. The family stated that he had only one bottle of water and hadn’t seen him in six hours.

Kane County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded along with Kane County Search and Rescue, BLM, Glen Canyon NPS and Classic Air Medical.

Classic conducted an aerial search of the area while others searched the trails and slot canyons.

After searching all night and into the early morning, Kane County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue personnel heard calls for help. SAR teams converged to where the sound was coming from and located the missing man. Being very tired and dehydrated but happy to have been found, SAR teams assisted the man back to the trailhead.

Kane County Sheriff’s Office is proud of its SAR personnel who dedicate and train many hours in order to help others in Kane County.

Kane County Sheriff’s Office would also like to thank Classic Air Medical with their assistance in responding to calls like this and of several overdue hikers that underestimated their hike and ran out of water.