It was a different kind of Thanksgiving for Justin Harris and his family this year.
There was no elaborate table setting with a large turkey dinner and all the trimmings. There wasn't a football game blaring from the living room. Rather, there was Justin, his wife and their four children in a small room together. But to the Harris family, having each other was all they needed.
"It was a definitely a day that I focused on what I was grateful for rather than who's going to do the mashed potatoes or football," Harris said. "I reflected on how wonderful it is to be alive."
Just three days earlier, Harris was rescued from a remote area of Upper Chute Canyon in Emery County after spending nearly 48 hours by himself in below-freezing temperatures with a severely broken leg.
Harris, 31, Parowan, and his 27-year-old brother, Jeremy Harris, had planned to do a weekend of hiking and rappelling in the area. But on the afternoon of Nov. 22, Justin Harris lost his footing while rappelling, fell and shattered his leg. Right away he could tell it was bad.
"I knew how serious it was. I was pretty used to emergency first-aid situations, and I wasn't at all playing down the fact that it was threatening at that point," he said. "I was aware of the possibility that I might not be getting out."
The brothers split up their supplies, and Jeremy Harris set off to get help. Justin said he knew it would be a minimum of six hours before his brother would be able to reach anyone.
Jeremy Harris hiked through the night, battling extreme weather conditions, fatigue and hypothermia.
After hiking for 22 hours, Jeremy Harris made it back to the main campsite the brothers had set up and called Emery County Search and Rescue.
While Justin Harris waited for his brother, he did what he could to avoid falling into deep shock. That meant staying awake. Justin said he would sleep for less than five minutes every hour. If he felt himself start to drift off he would go through the names, ages and birth dates of his wife and children.
"There was no one around to slap me in the face to keep me awake. I knew it was on my shoulders," he said.
But Harris said he had made up his mind that he was going to make it.
"I was just determined. I had reasons to live. I had children and a family that needed to be taken care of, that needed me. I wasn't going to give up. I was going to keep on fighting until I couldn't fight anymore. I told myself, 'No matter how bad it gets, you keep on fighting, you do what you can to get out of this situation,' " he said.
And though Harris knew his own situation was bad, he spent a lot of time worrying about his brother.
"Big brother is supposed to look out for your little brother, you know," he said. "I was very upset. Very worried about my brother."
Every 15 minutes, Harris said he would call out for help just to see if anyone was around. He didn't have a watch, but he tried to keep track of time by watching the movement of the stars. After 26 hours, Harris still hadn't heard from anyone and was prepared to settle in for "another seriously painful night."
That's when Harris heard the faint sound of a siren in the distance. At first he wasn't sure if his mind was playing tricks on him. But a half-hour later he heard it again. Although it was in the distance, it was distinctly the sound of a siren.
"When I heard that I knew somebody was out there. They might be out there far, they might just be getting to my brother," Harris said. "I was so happy with the possibility that things might turn for us at that point." -->
Several more hours went by as the sounds of the rescuers drew closer until finally Harris was able to yell and this time someone responded, nearly 30 hours after he had last talked to his brother.
"One of the rescuers called back, 'Hey, you're alive. We can hear you,' " said Harris, who then broke down and cried tears of joy.
It still took rescuers another 10 hours to rappel down the 400 foot canyon in the dark and pull Harris out. When they finally reached Harris at 7 a.m. Monday he said they didn't hide their surprise.
"They weren't sugar-coating it at all. The first thing I said was 'I am so glad to hear you guys,' and they said, 'We're glad to see you too. We didn't think we were going to find you alive,' " Harris said.
When paramedics examined Harris and determined just how bad he was, he thought to himself, "I might lose a leg, but at least I'm getting out of here alive," he said.
Harris was brought to LDS Hospital late Monday afternoon and remains in the Intensive Care Unit. He already has had one operation and was scheduled for a second today and possibly a third next week.
"It's as bad as you can possibly get with a broken leg," he said.
As for whether Harris will be able to regain full use of both legs, he said doctors are just taking it day-to-day right now.
On Thanksgiving Day, although children aren't allowed in ICU, Harris' four children were allowed to see their daddy for 20 minutes, the first time they've seen each other since the accident.
"We spent time loving, crying and caring for each other. Thanksgiving was different, but it was great. (Seeing my children) was just wonderful," he said.
Harris said he had a lot to be thankful for this year.
"I want to personally give my greatest appreciation for that search and rescue team. They went so far beyond the call of duty to rappel down 400 feet of canyon in the dark to get me," he said.
E-mail: preavy@desnews.com