Rescued hiker on the mend

Justin Harris, the hiker who was trapped for 48 hours with a broken leg in a freezing canyon, said Monday he is doing better and hopes to be home in a week, but he will have more surgery before his fracture is set.

"At this point, I'm feeling pretty good," Harris said from his bed in LDS Hospital. "My leg is really swollen, really bad, but they're taking steps to fix that."

The fracture in his leg produced so much swelling that it broke the skin, and doctors had to slice the leg open to accommodate the swelling. Doctors planned to operate late Monday to place skin grafts on the opening.

Harris said he has experienced some complications, including fever and what he describes as toxins from the swelling building up in his system, which could potentially harm his kidneys.

But overall, the 31-year-old Parowan man is improving and was in good spirits Monday, even joking about having a laptop computer in his hospital room — "but my wife won't let me use it."

Justin Harris and his 27-year-old brother, Jeremy, were hiking in and rappelling down canyons in Emery County on Nov. 22 when Justin fell, breaking his leg. Jeremy, wet, cold and eventually plagued by hypothermia, hiked for 21 hours to get help.

Meanwhile, his brother waited in the canyon, periodically swinging his arms in circles to keep circulation going and hitting a water bottle against a rock to get ice chips to stay hydrated.

Once rescuers arrived, it took many more hours for them to reach Harris in the narrow canyon, get him strapped onto a stretcher and hoisted out by a Life Flight helicopter.

Justin Harris said the pain from his leg and the extreme cold were about even as far as making things miserable, but he was determined not to give up, especially since his brother was trying so hard to help him.

"There were times when I didn't think I could make it," Justin Harris said. "Then there were thoughts of how blessed I was. Here's my younger brother, who I'm supposed to be looking out for, out saving my life."

Justin Harris said thinking about his brother helped him focus on staying alive.

"Part of my concentration for him kept me going. What a big waste if I let myself go into hypothermia and die when he hiked all night," he said.

He also praised the Emery County Sheriff's Office and the search and rescue team for the "utmost professionalism" they showed during the lengthy rescue.

Harris said he still doesn't have full feeling in his foot and expects he will have to use a brace and crutches once he is up and about.

"I'd love to be home in a week. That's a good goal," he said.

LDS Hospital spokesman Jess Gomez said doctors were happy Harris was rescued when he was.

"The doctors who saw him initially were concerned if he had not gotten help, with another night out in the cold, his life might have been in danger and there was a good chance he would have lost his leg," Gomez said. "Fortunately, it looks like he will have a good recovery."

---

E-MAIL: lindat@desnews.com