MOAB — Grand County Search and Rescue said an experienced hiker who became trapped in quicksand over the weekend did everything right, and still needed help.

Incident commander John Marshall said crews were called early Sunday to Courthouse Wash in Arches National Park . Using a drone, they spotted a hiker who was stuck knee-deep in cold quicksand for hours. By the time rescuers arrived, he couldn’t feel his leg.

“He described it as like being in a ski boot, how your ankle is bent forward and it’s in that forward position,” Marshall said. “He found it painful to try to sit back and lean back out of it, which is a method that you can use to extract yourself.”

A park ranger first reached the hiker and gave him a shovel, but he couldn’t dig himself out.

Search and rescue teams used a la

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