Main Story:
I hiked Coyote Gulch off Hole-In-The-Rock road down by Escalante with a buddy of mine. Most people who do this hike go down to the "Crack" down near the Escalante river then hike up the Gulch to Jacob Hamblin Arch where there is a point where you can get out. You use two vehicles one by the "Crack" and one by the Water Towers near the get out point. We only had one truck so our plan was to go down the get out point then go down to the river then back the way we came.

We quickly found out why people go the other way around as the get out point is a very steep section of slick rock that is easier to go up than down. I torn the sole off my merrell water shoes but was no worst for ware but my friend slide on the back of his hands a one point ripping up both of his palms. This really shook him up and scared him. As I told him this was our way out he told me there was no way would he do that again. So go down to the river and come back up; with me thinking he will change his mind as the only other option is to hike out Hurricane Wash adding maybe 10 miles to the hike.

Low and behold he wanted nothing to do with the way we got into the slot canyon. So we decided to hike the long way out. Its starts getting dark and my buddy is really struggling to keep up. We decide to split up where I will hike all the way back to the truck and he will just hike out of the wash to the trailhead. I wasn't too concerned about navigation as you just follow the wash till you make it to the road. I make it back to my truck around 12:30 and drive to the trailhead. I get there and my friend is still not there. I honk my horn, I yell out but never hear anything back. I am so exhausted I just curl up and go to sleep.

When I wake up my friend still hasn't showed up. I think that maybe he just missed the truck in the dark and continued up the road. So I drove back up to the water tanks and don't see my friend. I drive back to trailhead and hike out to the point where we split up; which was pretty obvious because it was after a little slotted up section where the walls are only 10 feet high. I don't see him and never hear him while calling out. Now I really start to panic because I have no idea where he could be. Did he go down the wash and back into the Gulch? Did he walk over the road? I had no idea. I hiked back to my truck and to get cell service drove about a mile on Hole-In-The-Rock road till on a little hill I could get cell service.

First I called 911 they connected me to Search and Rescue who said they would be there in about 4 hours in a helicopter. I then called my mom and cried because I was worried that something had happened to my friend and it was my fault. As I planned the trip and suggested we split up. I hiked the trail again and drove the road while I waited for the helicopter never seeing anyone else. Finally the helicopter lands at the trailhead. One guy runs out tells me to jump in and we start looking for my friend.

We fly the length of Hurricane Wash and then Coyote Gulch never seeing my friend and only some people down by the river. They finally start following some washes that feed into Hurricane Wash. We finally found him up one of those. He was dehydrated, dark brown urine, but fine. They flew us back to my truck; took our names and phone numbers and flew off. My buddy said why he abandoned the wash was because of the bared wire fence you had to walk through thinking he would be on private land. He followed this fence to another wash and decided to follow it up. He said he could hear me honking the truck horn thought I was mad that he was lost. Very glad we found him and was the only time I have been in a helicopter which was really cool and beautiful but didn't enjoy it because I was concerned about my friend. Also they did not charge us anything which I am very grateful for.


Others inspired by other comments:

In high school we use to take our old trucks and jeeps on desert and mountain roads of the Snake River Valley often at night. Because we were near an Indian Reservation; we were stopped three times by some random Truck asking if we were tribe members or if we were suppose to be up there. Always disconcerting when someone you don't know is flagging you down or flashing headlights behind you down a dirt road. We had urban legends of the "Old Indian School House" where a supposed massacre closed it down; which wasn't true see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Creek_Day_School. Another one was "Stabins Cabin" where old Indian blood rituals were supposably preformed on lambs and where an Indian did that ritual to kill his wife. So I was always weirded out driving by someone walking dozens of miles from homes or small structures with lights on tens of miles away from anything else. Once we were going up Chinese Peak in Pocatello which we had done a number of times but this time we were in a full jeep. No sheer drop offs on this road by very steep sage brush mountain. We were getting to the top of a hill on the ridge line with alot of lose rocks. The Jeep started losing traction with the wheels just spinning and we started to go backwards. We slide backwards about 20 feet with the last 10 being off the road. We were extremely lucky we didn't keep sliding until finally rolling hundred of feet down this mountain. One of the passenger was very shook up about it and we spent about an hour trying to calm her down before we could get off the mountain. She cried about it for a few days and never went out with us again.

Out for lunch during High School and was about to pull out in front of a car going 30 MPH. Friend yelled at me to stop. Would of been broadsided right in the driver's door. This is friend from above story.

Tired to hike the South Teton, I gave up near the saddle in the rock field just before the top because of weakness or maybe altitude sickness. When heading back; I lost my balance and fell backward off a rock. Just fell and hit my butt. I could of easily broken a leg or my back but was lucky somehow.

I went on a road trip with my mom when I was about 14. We camped on a beach just outside of Eureka, CA. The camping spots were right on top of each other. Maybe 10 feet between tents. We were next to a very loud and drunk group. They fought multiple times, fist fights and wrestling. They threatened each other with their guns. We didn't sleep at all and left at first light. Drove all the way to Reno the next day.

Driving to SLC in my old 1990 GMC truck where I-15 merges with I-84; I had a blow out making that turn going 75-80 MPH in the middle of winter. I should of rolled but didn't.

Heading back from an outdoor Thirty Seconds to Mars concert at night in a snow storm through Parley's Canyon. Was driving my friends car and must of hit some black ice going around 45-50 MPH. We spun around about 4 or 5 times, ended up right back in my lane in the correct direction. No one in the car screamed or said anything while it happened and afterward I was strangely calm.

This is super stupid but thinking back on it I can't believe I did this and it scares me to death. Skiing up at Snowbird during a storm. Road gets closed for snow. Then lift gets closed for wind around 10:30. We end up at the bar where they have a special where you can get one shot of whiskey with a purchase of a beer. Both me and my friend get this special three times. Lifts open back up at 12:30 and with 6 drinks in me, I am blitzed. But we are right next to the Tram so we ride it up. That Tram ride and the rest of the day skiing is a bit of a blur and I am super lucky nothing happened to me or anyone else. Again super stupid and super scary to think back on.