ST. GEORGE — A group of three men descending the slot canyon known as Fat Man’s Misery just outside the eastern boundary of Zion National Park were rescued by helicopter Sunday morning. The men were dehydrated but otherwise in good condition.
A group of Boy Scouts out of Cedar City were beginning the hike into the canyon Saturday from near the Zion Mountain Lodge, Kane County Sheriff Tracey Glover said. A second group comprising three men between 18-20 years of age and also from Cedar City began hiking the slot at approximately the same time.
They were all part of the same church group, Glover said. The three men were not officially part of the Scout troop but hiked with or near them throughout the day. Saturday afternoon, the Boy Scouts decided they would be exiting the canyon, but the group of three said they were going to continue hiking and would follow the Scouts’ tracks out of Fat Man’s Misery.
“They never came out,” Glover said. “So we searched for them late afternoon-evening last night and couldn’t find them. We had a Classic Lifeguard medical ship (helicopter) out of Kanab here fly for us this morning and took one of our search and rescue ropes team members. They flew the area and found the three boys this morning.”
The helicopter was able to land relatively close to where the three men were located and fly them to safety, he said.
“They were fairly dehydrated and healthy but kind of on the verge of having some medical issues,” Glover said.
Kane County Sheriff’s Office, Kane County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue and Classic Lifeguard Air Medical Services were all involved in the search. A group of concerned friends and family from Cedar City also made the drive to assist in the search. In total, approximately 25 people took part in the search.
Glover praised Classic Lifeguard for its help, not only in this mission but in many others as well.
“They’ve just been lifesavers over here for us lately,” he said. “We’ve got a bunch of calls where we’ve really needed their help.”
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