Salt Lake couple feel closer after ordeal

The Salt Lake couple found alive after being lost for nearly a week while hiking a difficult trail in the Grand Canyon say the experience has made them even closer to each other than before.

Alan Humphrey, 39, and 35-year-old Iris Faraklas told "Good Morning America" they spent all day on May 23 and 24 looking for a way out of the 45-mile Royal Arch route once they realized they were lost.

The couple were supposed to be in Prescott, Ariz., on the 24th. When they failed to arrive, family members reported them missing on the 25th, sparking a four-day search that ended Wednesday afternoon.

"We did not see one human being for 11 days," Humphrey told GMA.

The experienced hikers somehow managed to stretch one day's worth of food and water into five days.

"Right down to how many pieces of cookie we could have, how many M&M's we could have, like one a day," Faraklas said.

The married couple said a missed exit on the trail was the start to their problems. Humphreys told KSL TV that once a person gets into the canyons, it's a difficult place to hike and keep one's bearings.

"No matter how prepared you are and how experienced you are, you can make mistakes," he said.

The couple were flown out of the area by helicopter to waiting family and friends.

"It was a real sense of elation to see everyone," Humphreys said.