Luck comes in many forms, but for a father and son hiking in Utahs Snow Canyon on February 17, it came in the form of an abandoned backpack. Stuck overnight high up on a canyon ledge, Julian Hernandez and his 12-year-old son would have had a different outcome had it not been for someone elses misfortune, said Sergeant Jacob Paul with Washington County Search and Rescue.

　　They literally had just about everything that they needed to stay about 100% as comfortable as they possibly could until our rescuers found them, Paul said. Theres no other way to describe it other than a miracle.

　　The pair were hiking Red Mountain Trail, a 13.5-mile route that winds from the northeastern corner of Red Mountain Wilderness down past Snow Canyon State Park and into Ivans, Utah. That was where theyd planned to be picked up by Hernandez wife. But they never made it.

　　According to Paul, near the top of the Snow Canyon overlook, they lost the trail and hiked down a sloped cliff that they couldnt get back up from.

　　Play Once you get up to the top, theres no clear designated trail, Paul said. So its really easy to get lost.

　　Stranded on the cliff, unable to ascend or descend safely, the two were in a precarious situation. The sun was setting. The father and son were out of food and water, and only had the clothes on their backs.

　　According to Paul, they were very unprepared for the lengthy hike theyd embarked on — let alone to spend a cold winter night exposed on a cliff.

　　However, as fate would have it, someone else had gotten lost in that exact same area just weeks prior, and theyd lost a backpack full of supplies.

　　One Rescue Leads to Another

　　The area where Hernandez became turned around; (photo/BLM) In early January, another hiker found himself helplessly perched on almost the exact same ledge as Hernadez and his son. Levi Dittman, a 15-year-old local from Ivans, was hiking the Red Mountain Trail and had similarly gotten lost and stuck 60 feet up the canyon wall.

　　In an attempt to get from one ledge to another, Dittman threw his pack. It was too far of a jump to make safely, though, and he couldnt retrieve it.

　　Rescuers eventually found him, retrieved him from the rock wall, and brought him home safely. But his pack was left behind on that cliff for Hernandez and his son to find.

　　“The moment we found the backpack — it was lovely,” Hernandez said in an interview with ABC4. “We found some food in there, so that kept us pretty well. It kept us pretty well into the morning.”

　　I love this story from @SarahMurphyTV. A father-son duo got stranded overnight hiking in Southern Utah recently and found a backpack stocked with survival supplies. Turns out a teen had lost it 45 days ago and its being credited for saving them. @abc4utah https://t.co/vmAj2OhwVi

　　Lindsay Aerts (@LindsayOnAir) February 18, 2025 Food wasnt all they found in the pack. Inside, there was a large bottle of water, a first aid kit, and two emergency blankets. They swaddled up in the blankets, ate snacks, and stayed hydrated while they waited for their rescue.

　　Searchers eventually located them by following Hernandezs footprints. They made contact around 3:20 a.m., roughly seven hours after the search had begun. A helicopter from Salt Lake City was called in, and the two stranded hikers were safely extracted.

　　It dropped down into the high thirties that night, and there was some pretty significant windchill, too, Paul said. I cant say for sure that they wouldnt have survived, but they would not have been in the shape that they were in if they hadnt found that pack.

　　Always Be Prepared

　　(Photo/Washington County SAR) The odds of getting lost and stuck on a cliff in the exact spot where another person left a backpack are extremely low. But the odds that whoever that pack belonged to was prepared with food, water, and emergency supplies? Paul said, Its ridiculous.

　　They were out of supplies by the time that they got stuck on this ledge. And they wouldnt have had anything that they needed. They werent prepared clothing-wise. They werent prepared with any equipment, really, that they needed for that eventuality, Paul said. So they were extremely lucky to find that pack.

　　Always prepare yourself for an emergency when youre venturing out into the wilderness. Its also important to let people know where youre headed. Had Hernandezs wife not notified emergency services that her husband and son hadnt shown up where and when they were supposed to, no one would have called search and rescue.

　　Sure, you might get lucky if you get lost and find a fortuitous backpack loaded with food, water, and survival supplies. But you shouldnt count on it.

　　Ive been involved with search and rescue for about four years now, and this is the only situation that Ive seen where a piece of gear that was left from another rescue ended up practically saving the other group, he said.

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