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(KSL News) A Salt Lake couple is talking about their experience getting lost in the Grand Canyon. Alan Humphrey and his wife, Iris Faraklas, are experienced hikers and wanted a challenge, so they planned a 45-mile backpacking trip through a rugged area of the canyon called Royal Arch; but in the end, the trip turned out to being a royal pain as the two had to rely on their survival skills until help arrived.
When the couple failed to meet up with family last Sunday, rescue crews began searching. They found the couple Wednesday night. Humphrey and Faraklas were tired, but in good condition.
Humphrey told us, "It's a difficult place. You get down in these canyons and they are identical canyon to canyon. You get down there and it looks totally different than it does up here."
Humphrey and his wife have spent plenty of time in the outdoors; little did they know all of that experience would come in handy on this trip. One wrong turn and their search for adventure started to feel more like an episode of survivor. "No matter how prepared you are and how experienced you are, you can make mistakes," Humphrey said.
The mistake was a missed exit point on the trail. Once they realized they were lost, they decided to put together a survival strategy to ration food and water, a move that may have saved their lives since another five days would pass before searchers would find them.
Patrick Gamman, a rescuer who found the couple, says, "As a ranger, it's really tough to take the fact that you might not find them, so it was just total relief."
Humphrey added, "It was a real sense of elation to see everyone."
A quick helicopter flight to the South Rim of the Canyon and the two were back with their family, happy to once again be at the top of the Grand Canyon looking down.
