An experienced hiker was rescued after getting trapped up to his thigh in quicksand in Utah's Arches National Park, activating an emergency beacon to alert rescuers who battled the flowing sand and near-freezing temperatures.
A seasoned hiker found himself in a real-life 'corny movie peril' when he became stuck up to his thigh in quicksand during a 20-mile backpacking trip in Utah’s Arches National Park. Unable to free himself, he activated an emergency satellite beacon, triggering a rescue operation led by John Marshall of Grand County Search and Rescue. Marshall, who initially doubted the quicksand report, coordinated a team equipped with ATVs, a drone, a ladder, and traction boards. They discovered the hiker had been standing in near-freezing muck for several hours. Rescuers positioned a ladder and boards to slowly work his leg loose. Marshall, an informal quicksand expert, noted that while dangerous, total submersion is a myth due to buoyancy, with most people not sinking past their waist. He previously assisted in a similar 2014 rescue of a 78-year-old woman stuck for over 13 hours in the same canyon. Both incidents had happy endings, with the recent hiker warmed up and able to hike out on his own.
