Awesome - Man Hiking Trail Calls Out For His Daughter But A Different Voice Calls Back
To avoid tragedy on the hiking trail, follow this simple rule: Stick together at all times. Trails can go from safe to deadly in a matter of seconds when groups split apart. John Utsey's heart sank when he realized his two children, who he'd just been hiking with, disappeared from sight. But when he called out his daughter's name and heard a man's voice in response, John was thrown into action.
Rule Breakers
Sometimes, the most experienced hikers are the ones who make the simplest mistakes. For the Utsey family, this hike was no different than the hundreds they'd taken before. They were overconfident, leading to a series of events John would never forget.
A Gorgeous Backdrop
The Utsey family was exploring the beautiful Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico. Their path, called The Windsor Trail, had already seen thousands of families stroll through that summer. However, there was one part of the trail hikers were cautioned to avoid: the highest peak.
High Points
Towering above the Utsey family was the trail's high point of 11,000 feet — the length of over 36 football fields! Even the lowest parts of the trail come in at a whopping 7,000 feet high. But John and his kids, unaware of the nightmare to come, weren't intimidated by these staggering numbers.
Summer Lovin'
John was admiring the views as his kids played ahead of him. They'd passed a few families along the way, indicating this was a safe space for children to run wild. With summer coming to a close, John was soaking up every moment. Suddenly, he could no longer hear his kids' voices.
Trail Blazers
At first, John wasn't concerned. This wasn't the first time he'd trusted his kids to roam free. After all, they had all the survival gear they could carry. Little did they know, these supplies would soon be urgently needed.
Raised Strong
As a veteran of the Marine Corps, John was confident in his children's survival instincts. On top of their hiking experience, his kids had been raised by a service member. Their ability to run into an emergency situation was about to be tested.
Calling Out
After a long silence, John called out to his kids. He knew his 10-year-old would be following close-behind his 12-year-old big sister. But at the top of the path, which was growing steeper and steeper, John only saw one of his children.
Girl Gone Missing
Once John caught up to his youngest child, he realized his eldest daughter had disappeared. The two began searching for her, staying close together as they barreled over the dirt and rocks. Clearly, this part of the trail was less-traveled, reminding John of the park's deadly warnings. Now, his mind was racing.
Guilt Trip
John's guilt was setting in. If he'd only told his kids to stay close, his daughter would be safe and sound. If anything were to happen to her, John would be absolutely devastated. Even his 10-year-old was growing fearful. They yelled and yelled until, finally, they got an unexpected response.
Strange Calls
John thought he heard his daughter yelling, so he shouted her name as loudly as he could. Suddenly, a deep voice cut through the trees, giving John a scare. Realizing it was a man's voice, John bolted ahead.
A Long Sprint
John's dash toward the strange man's voice felt like it would never end. Time slowed down as his brain cycled through worst-case scenarios. When he heard his daughter's voice yell out again, John nearly tripped over his own feet. Finally, he reached the path's end, in shock by what he found.
Pleasant Surprise
After expecting something horrific, John was relieved to discover his daughter in one piece. They embraced, but her face was heavy with concern. Before John could ask why, he heard that strange man's voice again. The Utleys quickly realized that someone was calling for help!
Back and Forth
Suddenly, John shifted into Marine mode. After rounding up his children, the family set off to find the source of the mysterious voice calling for assistance. Together, they did a call and response, taking them further and further from the trail. Without phone service, the Utleys were this man's only hope.
Search Success
After 20 minutes of shouting, John and his children stumbled upon a clearing. They had climbed down 600 yards of a steep trail, leading them to a creek. That's where John spotted a silhouette near the water! Once the Utley's approached, John realized it might be too late.
Beyond Help
“He was lying beside a creek," John later told KRQE News. "He couldn’t stand he couldn’t move. He was delirious, so he wasn’t making much sense." John and his kids immediately took out their safety rations, supplying the man with fresh water and food. But things were looking grim.
Dire Straights
“His lips were all chapped to the point they were bleeding," John continued. "His tongue was swollen; he was super gaunt and skinny. I was like, 'This guy really needs help.'” Without medical professionals on hand, John would have to make a decision fast.
Getting Help
Using his Marine skills, John figured out the man's coordinates. The Utleys then hiked three miles to the trailhead, where they called 911 with the man's location. The authorities thanked John for his help and assured him they wouldn't rest until the man was found. And yet, the local news said otherwise.
Bad News
After bringing his kids home, John was glued to TV news reports of the incident. After eight hours of searching, the rescue crew had decided to give up! John was not going to let that happen. Early the next morning, he strapped on his boots and hit the trail once more.
Found Again
John retraced his steps and, sure enough, there was the man in the same place the Utley's had left him! John returned to an area with cell service, called 911 again, and led them straight to the creek. When medics finally arrived, they discovered the 50-year-old had been stranded for 14 days!
Incredible Save
Despite being without food or water for nearly two weeks, the crew managed to save the man's life. John and his children were delighted. And although the 50-year-old hiker was quite experienced, it would soon be revealed that he made one crucial mistake which landed him in the dire situation.
Hiking Alone
You guessed it: He went hiking alone! Groups only, folks. Brad Parker (right) learned this the hard way after going for a solo climb to celebrate proposing to his long-time girlfriend. Unfortunately, Brad would face far graver consequences than the man in New Mexico ever did.
Brad Parker's Mistake
If you asked Brad Parker's closest friends about him, they would all sing similar praises: he had a gift with people. He was one of those gems everyone just gravitated to — he was larger than life. And it costed him in the long run.
Extreme Sports
After finishing up high school in 1996, the Santa Rosa, California, native traveled the world. He passed through Indonesia, New Zealand, and more, and jumped head first into any extreme sport he could find.
Oh, By the Way...
In his 30s, he catapulted himself into the upper-echelons of rock climbers, earning a cover spot on California Climber magazine in 2012. On the side, he taught yoga — his energy and enthusiasm captivated even those he barely knew.
Hanging Ten
"Rock climbers knew him as [an awesome] climber," Brad's best friend and climbing partner Jerry Dodrill said. "Surfers knew him as [an awesome] surfer, and yoga instructors knew him as an amazing yoga instructor."
Jainee Dial
Brad's friends, family, and even minor acquaintances were delighted in June 2014, when the 36-year-old let his friends and family on social media know the truth: he was in love with a girl named Jainee Dial.
Adventure Products
Jainee managed an online store that sold outdoor adventure products to women, and she faced life with a similar enthusiasm as Brad. In fact, two months after Brad's Facebook post, the couple set out for Yosemite National Park.
Cathedral Peak
And though Jainee didn't know it, the ever-smiling, always-excited Brad planned a surprise for her there. He unveiled it on a Saturday morning climb to the summit of Cathedral Peak — a 10,912-foot mountain.
The Question
Using ropes, the couple ambled upwards for a few hours before reaching the narrow peak of the mountain. There, on a piece of rock just big enough for two people to stand on, Brad lowered himself to one knee and asked Jainee to marry him.
Yes!
For nearly 40 years, Brad chased every thrill he could find, but chances were, his heart never beat harder or faster than in the split-second silence following his proposal. To his delight, Jainee said "yes."
A Peaked Life
Minutes later, as the two descended the mountain, Brad told her, "this is the happiest day of my life." And though Brad didn't know it, that moment of pure elation that followed the couple's commitment to marriage was the moment his life peaked...
Matthes Crest
...because once they reached the base of the mountain, the climber caught an itch — an itch to climb another mountain. So while Jainee headed back to camp, Brad hiked to Matthes Crest, a massive ridge just three miles away.
Something's Wrong
In hindsight, it wasn't unexpected that Brad left his fiancé to climb again — he'd been training for a major climb he planned for the future. But as he hiked up towards Matthes Crest, other hikers noticed something was off about the man.
Cedric Ma's Observation
One of those hikers, Cedric Ma, saw Brad on his way to the crest. "He said he was dehydrated and had cramps," Cedric wrote. "After that, he continued to solo up the north summit and disappeared from view."
Slipping
Nevertheless, cramped, dehydrated, and likely fatigued from climbing earlier in the day at high altitudes, Brad tackled the vertical face of Matthes Crest. At about 5:45 p.m. — hours after his proposal — Brad slipped.
Down 300 Feet
Other climbers and hikers in the area watched from afar as the experienced climber and soon-to-be-wed man fell 300 feet from the top of the ridge. He hit the rocky ground below with a thud. Then, there was silence.
Waiting for Rangers
This silence was not like the momentary one that followed Brad's proposal to Jainee. This was the silence of death, total and deafening, a finite sort of thing broken only by the park rangers when they hiked in to recover Brad's body.
Overhead
By the time rangers found Brad, it was too late for the helicopter to fly in for extraction. They left him there overnight, and in the morning, they removed him from the park. Soon, word spread to all of Brad's friends, family.
Ashes All Around
There was little solace to take in Brad's death, but still, as Brad himself would've done, his loved ones turned the meaninglessness of his demise into something beautiful. They spread his ashes around the California coast — and more.
Paddling Out
As time passed, Brad's friends found more ways to honor their friend. The memorial service for Brad featured a "paddle out" into the Russian River Mouth near Jenner, California. There, Jainee and Brad's mother mourned together.
Back to Yosemite
And when the wounds healed further, those close to Brad ventured into Yosemite. Together, they climbed Cathedral Peak, the place where Brad enjoyed the happiest moment of his action-packed life. That moment with Jainee.
To Brad Parker
It wasn't until later, when the pain of the moment didn't sting so deep, that Jainee sat down and reflected, recording her thoughts in a 2016 Facebook post. "To Brad Parker," she wrote. "It's so bittersweet. So brutal. And yet, so precious and true..."
"You Continue To Give Me Life"
She continued. "You not only live on in me but continue to live on in others and give them life. And not only life, but that great consciousness of life that reminds us what truly matters...You continue to give me life. And what an awful, stinging irony that is."
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