Hiker Gets Trapped by 700-Pound Boulder on Remote Trail

Trapped face-down in icy water by a 700-pound boulder, Kell Morris survived three harrowing hours near a remote Alaskan glacier—thanks to his wife's quick actions and a dramatic rescue. Morris, 61, was out with his wife, Jo Roop, on a remote and undeveloped trail near Godwin Glacier, south of Anchorage, when he was caught in a sudden rockslide after climbing an embankment, the AP reports. The boulder struck Morris' back as he tumbled about 20 feet into the creek. While rocks beneath and around him kept the boulder from crushing him, he was trapped in the freezing water and began to drift in and out of consciousness.

Roop, a former Alaska State Trooper who now works for the Seward Police Department, spent around 30 minutes trying to free him, then hiked in search of an area where she could get a cell signal. Morris tells Alaska Public Media that she quipped, "Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back." She got a signal just 300 yards away and called 911, using her law enforcement experience to provide dispatchers with GPS coordinates. A sled dog tourism company operating nearby volunteered its helicopter to fly first responders to the inaccessible scene, saving crucial time. By the time rescuers arrived, the creek was rising and Roop was holding Morris' head out of the water to prevent him from drowning. Seven rescuers ultimately used airbags and brute force to lift the boulder enough to free Morris, who was then airlifted out by the Alaska National Guard.

Seward Fire Chief Clinton Crites said the swift arrival of the helicopter likely saved Morris' life, as traditional rescue vehicles couldn't have reached him fast enough. "I fully anticipated a body recovery, not him walking away without a scratch on him," Crites says. Morris was hospitalized for two nights but emerged with only minor injuries. He was back at work at a marine repair business on Tuesday. He says he's probably the luckiest man alive—and "luckier that I have such a great wife." He tells the Anchorage Daily News that while he was in the hospital, they had a talk about reconsidering habits like off-trail hiking. "We kind of admitted to ourselves that maybe we are 60-something years old," he says. (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)