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An 83-year-old hiker who vanished in a remote stretch of Grand Canyon National Park after separating from his companion was found alive after an intense all-night search across rugged burn-scarred terrain, officials said Thursday.
Gerald Guinn, an experienced outdoorsman from Kanab, Utah, was found around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday during a National Park Service helicopter search, about 2.5 miles from 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 disappeared Monday after he and his hiking companion intentionally split up while taking a short hike around 12:30 p.m. in search of a nearby historic object in a remote area near the park’s northeastern boundary, the sheriff’s office said. While his hiking partner found the object, Guinn never showed up. After several hours of searching, the other hiker called for help.
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Search crews from Grand Canyon National Park, Coconino County Search and Rescue , and Kane County Search and Rescue spent the night looking for Guinn. Teams searched on foot through burned forest, the sheriff’s office said, while drones, search dogs and helicopters helped cover the remote area.
On Tuesday, investigators were able to narrow the search after receiving a cellphone ping from Guinn’s phone. When a National Park Service helicopter later spotted him, Guinn waved to the crew overhead, the sheriff’s office said.
The helicopter couldn’t land because of the steep, rugged terrain, so a Kane County Search and Rescue team hiked about 1.5 miles to reach him. Deputies said Guinn was in good spirits but was cold and unable to walk. Rescuers gave him water and warm clothing while deciding how to get him out safely.
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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.
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.
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