S.L. couple found alive in remote Arizona area

A Salt Lake couple backpacking in a remote part of Grand Canyon National Park was found alive Wednesday evening, the fourth day of searching.

Alan P. Humphrey, 39, and Iris Faraklas, 35, were found just before 5 p.m. by a search team hiking the Royal Arch route, a 45-mile loop in the western portion of the park, said Grand Canyon spokeswoman Maureen Oltrogge.

"They were found well," she said. "A little tired and a little ragged, in need of a healthy meal and a shower."

Humphrey and Faraklas were flown out of the canyon and reunited with family members Wednesday evening.

The couple were reported missing Sunday after they failed to arrive for a scheduled visit in Prescott, Ariz. Search crews looked for the couple from the air and from the ground earlier this week.

Humphrey and Faraklas are considered experienced backpackers, park officials said. The couple stretched one day's worth of food for nearly five days, and survived on water in the park, said Bil Vandergraf, the search effort's incident commander.

Park officials were unsure what prevented the couple from making their way out of the canyon on their own. Oltrogge said officials planned to interview the couple today