N33 29.968 W111 23.678

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N33 29.968 W111 23.678

N33 29.968 W111 23.678
Lives saved

2

Hiking

Hiking

Desert

Desert

Medical emergency

Medical emergency

Hiking

N33 29.968 W111 23.678

33.4994667°N, -111°W

Posted on June 5, 2020 by Marty Braden

What happened?

  

My friend and I were hiking in the Boulder Canyon area. We reached the summit of Battleship Mountain. From there we descended down into LaBarge Creek and started boulder hopping down the creek towards our exit. Marty stepped down on a loose boulder and it kicked his left foot out causing him to fall, breaking his ankle. With the amount of boulder hopping left, Marty was not able to navigate the creek bed. I activated my Sarlink PLB for assistance. The Highway Patrol SAR arrived and lifted Marty into their helicopter. The SAR people stated that the signal they received from my PLB was spot on and allowed them to reach us in a timely manner.

Words of wisdom

I have been an avid canyoneer for 10 years and actively hiking for over 35 years. I have carried my PLB for 7 years. This was the first time I had to activate the unit. I carried a SPOT unit for a number of years, but was always concerned about having to go through a third party before getting to the Rescue satellite system. Having direct access to that system with the PLB gave me much better piece of mind. I would strongly recommend the PLB over competitive units.

Thank you note

 Thank you all for providing such a reliable unit that anyone can carry with confidence.

Rescue location

N33 29.968 W111 23.678

Rescue team

Local Search and Rescue