The man and woman were in the midst of the Three Dune Challenge at Indiana Dunes State Park when they decided to rest by sitting on a low-hanging tree branch on the brilliantly sunny Wednesday morning.

Suddenly, the tree branch snapped and the couple was sent tumbling backwards down the side of a dune near Mount Holden on Trail 8, the second leg of the 1.5-mile challenge.

That led to a response from state conservation officers, National Park rangers and the Porter and Chesterton Fire Departments.

Doug Lang, the Indiana Dunes State Park manager, said their conservation officers were able to quickly help pull the man up to the path. The man and woman are in their 50s or 60s and were visiting from out of state. Lang wouldn’t release their names.

“She was a little bit further, about 30 fee

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