An experienced hiker was rescued Sunday morning after becoming trapped in quicksand for hours in a backcountry section of Courthouse Wash in Arches National Park.

The hiker, Austin Dirks, wrote in a detailed Reddit post that he became stuck before sunrise while hiking a section of the Hayduke Trail, where flowing water and 20-degree temperatures left his right leg locked in place. With no cell service in the canyon drainage, he used a satellite messenger to send an SOS as park rangers and Grand County Search and Rescue prepared a drone-assisted response.

Dirks described himself as an experienced and fit backpacker who has logged thousands of miles on long-distance trails and has extensive off-trail experience in Utah. He wrote that nothing about the canyon looked dangerous until his le

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