WEBER COUNTY, Utah — A man was hunting with his two dogs on Saturday morning in the foothills above 9th Street in Ogden when he slipped and fell nearly 40 feet into a ravine.
“Honestly it happened so quick, I really couldn’t tell you what I was thinking,” said the man, who didn’t want to publicly share his identity. “All I know is right at the end of it, there was a straight drop off, there was a little shrub oak tree I grabbed onto, held on. It stopped me and the dogs were right behind me. One hit me in the back — it was like chain reaction — and the next one hit the other dog.”
After trying to call friends for help, the man determined he needed the assistance of search and rescue personnel.
“I had my phone and everything. I was able to make all the phone calls I need to, just sat there and waited patiently,” the hunter told FOX 13.
Weber County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue responded to the area after 3 p.m. on Saturday.
“We put together three climb teams that responded up to the area. They were able to pinpoint his location pretty quick. After that, it became a little bit more of a challenge,” said Lt. Mark Horton, who oversees the SAR program. “He was very fortunate in this situation that he wasn’t injured in the fall, and so that was very lucky on his behalf... After that, he made all the right decisions.”
The SAR teams were able to rappel down to the man and his dogs. They were able to get them out of the ravine, warmed them up, and helped them back down to the trailhead area to safety.
“Our recommendation is even if you get in a situation like this and you think you can make it out and you’re not real comfortable, call us,” said Lt. Horton.
While in this instance the man was wearing appropriate gear for the weather conditions, it serves as a reminder to always be prepared with the right equipment and clothing if you’re planning to head out, especially during the winter months.
Weber County SAR features a group of mostly volunteers. Anyone who would like to donate can do so uskng this Venmo link and writing "SAR" in the notes.
