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ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) -- A St. George man was rescued after getting caught by nightfall while climbing at Island in the Sky in Snow Canyon Park.
Drew Thatcher was rescued early Sunday by members of the Washington County Search and Rescue team.
He had climbed to the top Saturday before realizing he did not allow himself enough time to make the descent in daylight.
He called his wife on his cell phone.
Dean Cox, county Emergency Service coordinator, said that the woman went out to assist her husband.
"He asked her to come out and he would throw a rope over the edge to see if he could rappel before it got dark," Cox said. "He had about 200 feet of rope and he needed 450 feet to make the descent."
His wife called for assistance.
Volunteer climbers led by Kerry Bang reached the top of the mountain at about 12:30 a.m.
"He wasn't even aware the rescue attempt was going on beneath him and was surprised to see people looking for him in the middle of the night," Cox said.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
