Two couples from the Netherlands were hiking on the Squaw Flats Trail in the Needles District of the park when they were stranded on a north-facing area that was slick and covered with ice.
Late in the afternoon, a man in the group was injured when he slipped and fell most of the way to the ground. A woman was stuck on the cliff.
The other couple returned to the campground for help. National Park personnel, the San Juan County North Search and Rescue Team and a rescue helicopter were all mobilized to assist in the rescue effort.
Crews arrived in the dark to find a precarious situation. After he was moved to safety, the man was stabilized and flown to a hospital in Grand Junction, CO.
The woman was stranded on the cliff for approximately five hours before she was rescued. The rescue effort was performed in extremely dark conditions, with temperatures below ten degrees.
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