Six of us were hiking the Thunder River/Deer Creek loop on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We had researched the trip thoroughly and prepared for the hike. About halfway down the red wall on the previous day, Jay took a pretty hard fall after slipping on some scree. In the process he had a pretty sore leg and some bruises and scrapes. We considered ending his trip and hiking back to the top, but he said he was ok to go on (he was at that point) and this was a “trip of a lifetime”. We split into 2 groups, and the rest of the day was slow going. His group of 3 arrived at camp at dusk, several hours later than planned.

The next morning, we were all refreshed and Jay said he felt good and ready for the day. We had a shorter hike that day and allowed everyone to break camp a little later for added recuperation. We hiked for about an hour along the west side of Tapeats Creek at a slow but steady pace. Then, as we hiked up and over one of the slopes, Jay lost his footing again and this time took a very hard fall on to his knee and arm and broke his trekking poles. At that point, Jay said he could not go on (he though maybe his arm was broken and he could not walk). The thought of toughing it out and continuing the hike was impossible at that point. Reluctantly, we used the beacon — it was the right thing to do. Jay was evacuated by GCNP search and rescue and was found to have a fracture in his knee. He would not have made it out given his injury and the desert conditions. Thankful to have the beacon!