EMERY COUNTY — A Parowan man trapped at the bottom of a canyon with a broken leg for two days was rescued Monday, thanks to his brother who hiked 21 hours in extreme conditions to get help.

Justin Harris, 31, and his brother Jeremy, 27, were hiking in the San Rafael Swell Saturday afternoon. The two arrived at their campsite in the McKay Flats area Friday night, said Jeremy Harris. The two planned to do a loop through three canyons on Saturday, many of which required technical rappelling, he said.

The first rappel was in Baptist Draw, a narrow slot canyon that drops into Upper Chute Canyon. The two made several rappels ranging from 20 to 80 feet.

"We were very well prepared for the canyon. We knew what was in there," said Jeremy Harris of Murray.

In Chute Canyon, the brothers came across a "choke hold," or a large boulder wedged between the walls of the narrow canyon. Although it was technically an easy obstacle to get over, Jeremy Harris said his brother lost his footing while rappelling down. Jeremy, who was anchoring, couldn't hold his weight.

"The bone in his leg shattered just below the knee," Jeremy Harris said.

After surveying the situation, Harris said they both determined "the only option was (for Jeremy) to leave and get help."

The two divided up what supplies they thought the other would need, and Jeremy began hiking about 5:30 p.m. Within just 20 minutes, it was dark.

Jeremy, who has an artificial hip, continued down Upper Chute Canyon, which he said was the wettest part of the canyon. He crossed through five to 10 sinkholes that are filled with water year-round.

"I was completely drenched from my chest to my toes," he said. "I had puddles in each shoe."

The temperature was about 15 degrees, Harris said. He had to keep breaking ice off his pants to keep moving.

Even though he had a map, he said he lost his sense of direction and missed the turnoff he needed, continuing farther down the canyon. When he realized his mistake, Harris said he needed to stop, rest and make a fire to dry out at least one pair of socks, which he promptly put back into his wet boots before hiking again.

Along the way, Jeremy said, he had to make 6- and 10-foot jumps that were extremely painful on his hip.

Between 5 and 6 a.m., he found the turnoff he had missed.

"I was completely in shock and hypothermic at that point. I couldn't think straight. I was having a lot of mental problems," he said.

By 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Jeremy Harris made it back to camp. A hike that normally takes only a few hours had taken him nearly 22. Harris said he called the Emery County Sheriff's Office, then crawled into his car, turned on the heater and waited for them to arrive.

At that point, Jeremy said all sorts of thoughts were running through his head.

"You decide on what you're going to believe. I stuck with believing (Justin) would be just fine. I had no choice but to know my brother was alive. I wasn't about to lose hope," he said.

Jeremy Harris was taken to a hospital in Price where he was checked out and released about four hours later.

About 20 rescuers from the Emery County Sheriff's Office began the hike into the remote area late Sunday afternoon.

Temperatures in the canyon dipped to zero degrees and colder over the weekend, said Sheriff Lamar Guymon. Rescuers weren't even sure Justin Harris was still alive until 4:30 a.m. Monday. When crews finally reached him, he was "better than we expected," Guymon said.

Getting Justin Harris out of the canyon was difficult because of its remoteness and tough terrain. Helicopters could not land at the bottom and fly him out. A Life Flight helicopter from LDS Hospital was eventually called to perform a hoist rescue.

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"He's in good condition," his father-in-law, Dave Mineer, said Monday night. "He's got a badly broken leg, just a little bit of sun exposure."

Justin lives in Parowan and publishes a construction newsletter, Mineer said. He's expected to be released from LDS Hospital in five to seven days.


Contributing: Laura Hancock

E-MAIL: preavy@desnews.com

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