A father and son survived through pure luck while lost in the Snow Canyon of Washington County.
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The pair were on a hike through the Utah mountainside when they became stranded. Unable to continue they had to wait it out, praying that the rescue teams would find them. Their hike had taken them to a steep area in which they couldn't continue.
Thankfully, rescue teams were sent to search, but it was 22 hours before they were located. Until that time, the father and son had to survive the night. It was by pure chance that they managed to find what they needed.
Speaking to KTVX, the father explained how woefully unprepared they were. "We didn't have the proper things," he said. "The first thing that came to my mind was to find shelter." So, they searched for somewhere to hold out until they could be found.
A Stroke of Luck Helped Father And Son Survive
While scrambling to find somewhere to stay warm and protected from the elements, they came across some red rocks. It was amongst these that the father and son found the backpack they survived the night with.
By pure chance, a previously stranded hiker had thrown their pack into the rocks. Levi Dittman had dropped it there while stranded on the same rocks, intending to recover it at a later point. However, after his rescue, he had left it.
The father recalled their luck at finding the backpack. "We ended up climbing through some red rocks, and we came across this backpack when we were already finding ourselves in a tough situation," he said. It contained everything the father and son needed to survive the night in the cold.
There were snacks, a tent, a first aid kit, and even blankets to stay warm. The chances of finding something so useful must be millions to one. Instead of freezing to death on the side of a freezing mountainside, the two were able to shelter until they were found.
The local rescue teams released a statement about the whole ordeal. "Search and rescue teams with Washington County Sheriff Search & Rescue worked through the night, and into the early morning hours, the helicopter crew located two stranded on a shallow ledge and hoisted them to safety."
They were stranded for 22 hours before they were rescued. The father and son survived thanks to the amazingly lucky find of an abandoned backpack.
