Hiker just grateful for life

It was a different kind of Thanksgiving for Justin Harris and his family this year.

There was no elaborate table setting with a large turkey dinner and all the trimmings. There wasn't a football game blaring from the living room. Rather, there was Justin, his wife and their four children in a small room together. But to the Harris family, having each other was all they needed.

"It was a definitely a day that I focused on what I was grateful for rather than who's going to do the mashed potatoes or football," Harris said. "I reflected on how wonderful it is to be alive."

Just three days earlier, Harris was rescued from a remote area of Upper Chute Canyon in Emery County after spending nearly 48 hours by himself in below-freezing temperatures with a severely broken leg.

Harris, 31, Parowan, and his 27-year-old brother, Jeremy Harris, had planned to do a weekend of hiking and rappelling in the area. But on the afternoon of Nov. 22, Justin Harris lost his footing while rappelling, fell and shattered his leg. Right away he could tell it was bad.

"I knew how serious it was. I was pretty used to emergency first-aid situations, and I wasn't at all playing down the fact that it was threatening at that point," he said. "I was aware of the possibility that I might not be getting out."

The brothers split up their supplies, and Jeremy Harris set off to get help. Justin said he knew it would be a minimum of six hours before his brother would be able to reach anyone.

Jeremy Harris hiked through the night, battling extreme weather conditions, fatigue and hypothermia.

After hiking for 22 hours, Jeremy Harris made it back to the main campsite the brothers had set up and called Emery County Search and Rescue.

While Justin Harris waited for his brother, he did what he could to avoid falling into deep shock. That meant staying awake. Justin said he would sleep for less than five minutes every hour. If he felt himself start to drift off he would go through the names, ages and birth dates of his wife and children.

"There was no one around to slap me in the face to keep me awake. I knew it was on my shoulders," he said.

But Harris said he had made up his mind that he was going to make it.