Time stranded: 5 days

Distance traveled: >10 miles

Terrain types: Mountain/Canyon

Deaths: 1

Situation ended: Rescue by helicopter

Location: No mans canyon, Utah

David Cicotello, 57, and his brother Louis, 70, were both keen outdoor enthusiasts and had a particular interest in climbing and rappelling. They had spent years going on long and elaborate hikes, were well-versed in the use of their equipment, and knew exactly what they were doing when it came to the outdoors.

They both worked at different universities in separate states and found it difficult to meet up on a regular basis so instead, they would organize a large hike that normally included some climbing or an overnight stay to make it worth it.

The year was 2011 and on March 5, the brothers set out on a 6-day trip to No Man’s Canyon in Utah and planned to spend the whole trip hiking through the region and doing plenty of climbing in the process. David gave a map of the trip to his fiance that included all the points they planned to camp each night, one of the smartest things you can do when going on a trip into the wilderness.

The first day of the trip went well and they made good time passing through the area, spending the night among the rocks before heading off again at first light. The brothers hiked for a while and eventually came to a small canyon they planned to reach the bottom of.

The idea was to rappel down to a small ledge about 40 feet from the top, then hook up another line and rappel the other 100 feet down to the canyon floor where they would eat lunch and then follow an old horse trail. The first part went well, with both of them making it safely to the first ledge and retrieving the rope they used to rappel down, but then Louis began to fix in the anchor for the second part of the climb.

Everything looked ok and Louis fed his rope through the rappel ring and went over the edge, but a few seconds later the rope quickly whipped through the ring and disappeared. David looked over the edge but Louis was already lying on the canyon floor 100 feet below and not moving.

David was sure his brother was killed by the fall but he spent the next few hours calling his name, all to no reply. The climb back up without any safety equipment was far too difficult to try, and he now didn’t have a rope to make it down to the canyon floor.

There was nothing he could do and because of the extremely remote location, there was no one to hear his cries for help. To make things worse he chose to leave his phone in the car, knowing it wouldn’t have any signal where they were going. There were no plans to check in with anyone along the journey and as far as friends and relatives were concerned, the trip would last for 6 days and the 7th would be the first time anyone would hear from them since they left.

The accident happened on the 2nd day of the trip and David knew that there would be no check-ins to miss and he would have to wait until they were expected to return before anyone got worried. The only food he had in his pack was a sandwich, an orange, some nuts, and an energy bar, which wasn’t much to go with his small bottle of water and a liter of iced tea.

He also had a spare jacket and some wool socks, and as all good outdoorsmen should have, also packed a knife, matches, and a flashlight. He began to ration his supplies right away, only allowing himself a few sips each day and a few bites of something to eat. Each night he would hear animals drinking from the creek below and a bat would come out and fly around for a few hours, something that gave him a little hope.

For the first few nights, he gathered enough dried sticks from the ledge to make a small fire, even if it only lasted for a few minutes. He also tucked his spare socks into his baseball cap at night to try and keep in a little more heat, which was important in the area as at that time of year it would reach close to freezing at night.

His effort to ration worked a little too well and the sandwich and iced tea eventually went bad, forcing him to throw them away. He forced himself to leave a tiny bit of water in the bottle as a psychological boost because he didn’t want to look at an empty bottle knowing he was out of water.

The trip began on March 5 and was supposed to end on the 10th when David would call his fiance and let her know everything was ok. When he didn’t make the call his fiance started to worry and called the emergency services who began their search the next day. The search and rescue helicopter saw him lying on the ledge almost right away and he was airlifted to the nearest hospital.

He was very dehydrated and had several minor injuries but was otherwise unharmed. The body of his brother was recovered from the canyon around an hour after David was rescued. A memorial service for his brother, a professor at the University of Colorado, was held a few days later.