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The emergency call was placed around 7:20 p.m. last Sunday evening. A woman reported that her husband and their 12-year-old son had not returned from a hiking trip on the Red Mountain trail in southern Utah, where she was scheduled to pick them up. Concern escalated when the pair failed to arrive as promised, prompting a response from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, as detailed by Sgt. Jacob Paul, who oversees the local volunteer search and rescue team.
In response to the report, two search teams were dispatched to examine the challenging landscape. A private medical transport helicopter aided in the search initially, but it could not locate the two hikers. Nevertheless, with the description of the father’s footwear, search teams identified a series of footprints leading along the Red Mountain trail, alongside smaller tracks indicative of the child’s passage. For over three hours, the teams followed these trails, calling for the father and son. However, echoes and encroaching darkness made it difficult to ascertain their exact location despite eventually hearing voices.
Stranded on a precarious ledge throughout the cold night, the father stumbled upon a backpack filled with survival essentials—emergency blankets, water, snacks, and a tent—left behind by a teenager who had to be rescued at the same location the previous month, according to both Paul and the young hiker responsible for the supplies.
“I can’t definitively say that this equipment saved their lives, but they were trapped on that ledge for about 13 hours, and without that bag, they could have suffered significantly from the cold,” Paul commented. He emphasized the protective role that the backpack played, stating, “It effectively kept them safe.”
‘It didn’t turn out the way we wanted’
Washington County search and rescue personnel worked tirelessly to find the father and son who went missing during their hike. – Washington County Sheriff Search & Rescue
The southern Utah red rock mountains attract countless adventure seekers due to their renowned sand dunes, intricate slot canyons, and formidable sandstone cliffs, all of which can create hazardous conditions even for seasoned hikers.
While the missing hiker chose to remain anonymous for the sake of his son’s well-being, he shared some insight regarding their hike which turned into a crisis. He expressed concern over his son’s emotional recovery from the event, noting the struggling mindset of his child, “He said, ‘Dad, I just don’t want to hear any more about it.’ It was a tough situation.”
The father described their decision to hike the previous evening, having trekked the same trail numerous times before. He had used a navigation app to plot their course, explaining to his wife their expected entry and exit points for the day’s adventure.
“We told her, ‘We’re starting from here, ending up out there, and we’ll meet around this time,’” he recounted, reflecting on the unfortunate outcome. “But it didn’t turn out that way.”
Setting off just before 10 a.m. on Sunday, the father reported that things were going smoothly until they reached a scenic overlook. The anticipated return was set for 2 p.m., but on their way back, he employed the navigation app on his phone.
“The application directed us to the opposite side of the mountains where we ended up stranded instead,” he explained. The group was discussing their plans for when they returned home when they realized they were lost, noting that reliance on the GPS had led them into a rocky and treacherous area.
The father reflected on his previous hiking experiences where he relied more traditionally on a compass and paths to navigate.
“Of all the times I relied solely on GPS, it ended poorly for us,” he admitted.
As night fell and cold temperatures set in, the father recounted coming across the abandoned backpack during their search for shelter. Within it, they discovered a heat-retaining blanket, meals ready to eat (MREs), snacks, and other helpful items.
“It was nothing short of a miracle,” he stated, noting how the gear extended their survival capabilities immensely.
What was believed to be a brief adventure morphed into a life-threatening ordeal lasting more than 20 hours. Throughout the night, the primary focus for the father was to keep his son warm and safe until help arrived.
“The situation was fearful, but in that moment, panicking wasn’t an option,” he said. “My son was handling it remarkably well. For a 12-year-old to remain calm and collected during the rescue—it was impressive. He noted that while he’s overcame some fears, next time he wishes to prepare better and bring a tent for any hike, no matter how small.”
‘Oh my gosh, that’s my son’s backpack’
Levi Dittmann with members of the search and rescue team that assisted in his recovery last month. – Courtesy Gretchen Dittmann
As the Washington County search and rescue volunteers, approximately 20 in total, combed through the mountainous trail that Sunday evening, circumstances complicated as the closest helicopter from the Division of Public Safety (DPS) was out of commission. A second helicopter was dispatched from Salt Lake City, taking around two hours to arrive on site.
On that evening, Gretchen Dittmann relaxed in her hot tub with her husband when they noticed a helicopter flying over their home near Red Mountain.
“We realized someone was being searched for,” she recalled. “There have been prior rescues on this mountain, as people often misjudge routes and find themselves stuck on ledges.”
Concerned for her 15-year-old son, Levi, who experienced a prior hiking incident in January where he spent a night lost before being rescued, Dittmann encouraged him to pray for the missing individuals.
The following morning, she encountered updates on a Facebook community page highlighting the rescue of a father and son along with mention of a miraculous backpack discovery.
“Suddenly, I exclaimed, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s my son’s backpack!’” she said, connecting the dots of past events.
Dittmann shared that Levi had embarked on a solo hike early the previous month, successfully reaching a summit where he contacted her via FaceTime. She expressed concern, advising him to descend before nightfall, not realizing he was alone.
Unfortunately, Levi found himself lost after deviating from the correct trail. His older brother attempted to locate him, and amid the chaos, Levi packed up his supplies but ultimately discarded his large backpack onto a ledge, unable to safely navigate the descent.”
With his phone’s battery dying, he made one last call home around midnight, feeling despondent. His mother reassured him to stay put, offering hope that either his father or a search crew would find him based on the GPS coordinates sent by his brother.
“There was worry, yet the night was warm, which helped ease my mind about his safety,” she said, admitting she couldn’t rest until he was safely brought down from the mountain.
Levi, in his preparations, packed snacks and survival gear, wanting to test himself with the weight of a larger backpack.
Reflecting on his decision to discard the backpack while climbing, he remarked how glad he was that it ultimately helped another lost soul.
Dittmann articulated her faith regarding the encounter with the backpack, saying, “As a Christian, this feels like a God-driven narrative, a miracle where everything fell into place perfectly. The questions of ‘why did you throw the bag?’ transformed into the acknowledgment of divine intervention.”
Once Levi was safely escorted down, Dittmann insisted on capturing the moment by taking a photograph with the rescue team. “This is a memory that must be preserved—it’s unforgettable,” she told him.
Most hikers in similar situations don’t survive
“It’s genuinely an incredible story; the area is vast, with numerous square miles of wilderness surrounding Red Mountain. They just so happened to become trapped on the exact ledge where the backpack was located,” Paul remarked regarding the fortunate circumstances of the rescued father and son.
At approximately 6:20 a.m. on Monday, a thermal imaging camera aboard the DPS helicopter detected the father and son, both wrapped in an emergency blanket, on the narrow ledge.
“Let’s get down and take a closer look at that,” a rescuer noted during the helicopter video, expressing caution about getting too close.
Images from thermal imaging captured the father waving at rescuers after their long ordeal on the trail. – Utah Department of Public Safety
As the father and son signaled to the helicopter, their emergency blanket fluttered in the wind. Afterward, the helicopter departed to retrieve additional crew members necessary for hoisting the hikers to safety. A rescuer was later lowered to the ledge, first retrieving the boy and then his father.
“Upon seeing the size of that rope, my immediate fear was that it might snap,” the father laughed as he recounted the rescue.
Following their rescue, authorities returned the backpack to Levi.
Levi Dittmann’s backpack was returned after the rescue of the stranded hikers. – Courtesy Gretchen Dittmann
Travis Heggie, a professor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio and former public risk management specialist for the National Park Service, expressed concern over the lack of preparedness among many hikers venturing into wilderness areas like southern Utah.
“It’s crucial to thoroughly plan for outdoor excursions. Engaging with park rangers or knowledgeable locals can provide insight. This young man made an attempt, though he overlooked a basic guideline: he hiked alone,” Heggie said, cautioning that groups of three or more are advisable. “Even experienced hikers can easily become disoriented in rugged terrains like those found in southern Utah.”
The fate of the father and son was fortunate, he noted, as many others in similar situations often do not survive.
“They were fortunate enough to utilize an abandoned backpack from another prepared hiker which proved vital for their survival during this ordeal,” Heggie, who is studying hiking fatalities at Zion National Park, emphasized. “They are incredibly lucky to be alive. Understanding where you are headed, along with appropriate preparation, is key.”
Sgt. Paul remarked that the Washington County search and rescue team, boasting around 100 volunteers, responds to approximately 130 to 180 calls annually. He noted that there were at least two heat-related fatalities last year in the region, alongside numerous severe injuries attributed to falls.
“We engage in rescues every few days,” Paul concluded, stressing the importance of safety and preparation for any outdoor adventure.
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