An 83-year-old hiker who went missing in a remote area of Grand Canyon National Park was found alive Tuesday evening after search teams worked through the night across steep, fire-scarred terrain, officials said Thursday.
Gerald Guinn, a seasoned outdoorsman from Kanab, Utah, was located around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday by a National Park Service helicopter roughly 2.5 miles from the spot where he was last seen on the park’s North Rim, according to the National Park Service and the Kane County Sheriff’s Office.
Guinn had disappeared Monday after he and a hiking companion deliberately went separate ways during a short hike that began around 12:30 p.m. The pair had been searching for a nearby historic object in an isolated area near the park’s northeastern boundary, the sheriff’s office said. His companion found the object, but Guinn never arrived. After searching for several hours without success, the other hiker contacted authorities for help.
The Kane County Sheriff’s Office described 83-year-old Gerald Guinn as an experienced outdoorsman. (National Park Service)
Search and rescue crews from Grand Canyon National Park, Coconino County Search and Rescue, and Kane County Search and Rescue combed the area overnight. Ground teams pushed through burned forest, while drones, search dogs and helicopters were deployed to cover the difficult backcountry terrain, the sheriff’s office said.
By Tuesday, searchers had narrowed the area after receiving a cellphone ping from Guinn’s phone. Later that day, a National Park Service helicopter spotted him, and Guinn waved to the crew flying overhead, according to the sheriff’s office.
After Guinn was seen from the air in steep, rugged terrain, a rescue team hiked about 1.5 miles to reach him. (Kane County Sheriff’s Office)
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The helicopter could not land because of the rugged slope, so a Kane County Search and Rescue team hiked approximately 1.5 miles to get to him. Deputies said Guinn was alert and in good spirits, though he was cold and unable to walk. Rescuers provided water and warm clothing as they assessed the safest way to bring him out.
With darkness setting in, a helicopter rescue was no longer an option. Instead, a paramedic was flown to the scene, and about 20 rescuers took turns carrying Guinn through the rough terrain in a rescue stretcher, clearing fallen trees and marking hazards along the way until they reached a nearby road around 1:30 a.m. — a day and a half after Guinn first set out on the hike.
About 20 rescuers took turns carrying Guinn through the rough terrain in a rescue stretcher, clearing fallen trees and marking hazards along the way, authorities said. (Kane County Sheriff’s Office)
Guinn was checked by emergency medical personnel and released, according to the sheriff’s office.
The National Park Service thanked Coconino County Search and Rescue and Kane County Search and Rescue for helping bring the search to a successful end.
