SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) — A father and son were rescued early Saturday morning after finding themselves stranded in Little Cottonwood Canyon’s Hogum Fork for around 24 hours, according to Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue.

Rescue crews responded to the call for help at around 1:15 a.m. on August 5. Officials said the pair was stuck in Hogum Fork in Little Cottonwood Canyon.

The father and son duo had reportedly started hiking the White Pine trail early Friday morning and reached the summit of Pfeifferhorn around 10 a.m. that day.

“Their plan was to head west from the summit and finish by hiking out Bell’s Canyon before dark,” SLCoSAR stated.

  • Courtesy of Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue
  • Courtesy of Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue
  • Courtesy of Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue

Officials said the two had trouble with the terrain in the area and decided to head down Hogum Fork. “Unfamiliar with the area, they ended up on the more technical west side of the creek as it dropped toward Little Cottonwood Creek,” SLCoSAR stated.

At this point, they reportedly stopped around 1,000 feet above the creek and called for help. Fortunately, the father and son were prepared — they had lights, some water, and appropriate clothing to spend the night, officials said.

SLCoSAR said two teams responded to the call. One team was able to get to them after navigating tough terrain for some time. “After several hours of stream crossing, bushwhacking, and crawling up steep forest ground, a team of four reached the patients,” SLCoSAR stated.

Both the father and son’s conditions were described as uninjured but “cold, tired and ‘done’ with Hogum,” SLCoSAR said. After the team reached the two hikers, a helicopter was called in to retrieve the group.

“Based on the fact the hikers had been out more than 24 hours since their adventure began, the dangerous ground route back to the road, and the four rescuers also being ‘done’ with Hogum, a helicopter evacuation was requested,” SLCoSAR stated.

Within a couple of hours, the six individuals were taken by DPS helicopter out of the area. “Thank you to the DPS helicopter team for once again giving us and our customers a ride home. They truly are the best at what they do,” SLCoSAR said.

All teams were reportedly off the mountain around 8 a.m. Saturday morning. The rescue took around seven hours to complete.