#Women stuck in quicksand free#

I didn’t want to take my head out of my jacket for another false alarm, so I waited. I pictured her fallen and alone somewhere on the trail.Īn hour later, another light shone my way. If Jessika had made it out, help should be here by now. I was freezing and beginning to lose hope. But it was just the moonlight shining over the canyon walls. Could it be a helicopter? I perked up, my heart racing. Thank God he hadn’t joined on this trip.Īfter a few hours, a light penetrated my jacket. I thought about my 7-year-old son, who likes to hike with me. My sleeves were frozen solid and my legs numb. Everything ached-I was positioned awkwardly, fighting to keep my upper body out of the water. I pulled my arms and head inside my jacket, covering my face, and leaned on the stick that was planted in front of me. The sky darkened and snow began to dump harder. I was overcome with guilt-she was alone and in danger trying to rescue me. Water on top of the quicksand came up to my waist, and I shivered in my jacket and beanie. Thirty minutes later, snow began to fall. She wasn’t sure she could make it by herself. We’d seen no one else on the way in, and the only cell reception was back by the car, five hours away over boulder-strewn terrain. I watched the dread cross her face-she’d only ever hiked with me. It didn’t seem possible, but after 15 minutes struggling and soaking our clothes, we had to confront reality: We couldn’t get my leg free. We wedged a large stick next to my leg, but it wasn’t strong enough to release the cement-like mud. When that didn’t work, I dug frantically with my bare hands, but it was useless-the water filled in instantly, preventing any progress and freezing my fingers.

#Women stuck in quicksand free#

I tugged with all my strength, trying to brace with my free left leg. Jessika was safe-the nearby mud was solid-but now I was stuck. I lunged forward and pulled her out by her torso, but in doing so, my own right leg sank to the knee. She had sunk to her knees and couldn’t get free. There was no way around the pool, but it looked shallow so, testing the footing with the walking stick, we began to make our way across. I helped Jessika over large rocks and found a sturdy walking stick for balance.įour miles in, a pond-size puddle blocked the trail. Snow dusted the ground when we set out at 8 a.m. Our route would take us 10 miles round-trip to the Subway, a tunnel-like canyon accessed via boulder scrambles and creek crossings. Six hours prior, I’d embarked on a dayhike in Zion with my girlfriend, Jessika. I listened for footsteps or voices, but heard nothing except the gusts rippling the water around me. Only a chilly wind broke the silence of the ravine. The contrast of white atop the rust sandstone and pines looked lovely-I tried to focus on that instead of the numbness in my trapped leg. 'I can't really speculate on how she got there, or why she was there but, when we were briefly in there, it was clear to see how someone could be stuck there,' tells Officer McLaughlin.Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!Ī fresh layer of snow settled on my shoulders and hat.

There was a little tree where I could grab it to get myself back up, but it took me 20 seconds to get my feet out of the mud,' explains Easton Police Officer Jason Wheeler. When other equipment didn't work, they formed a line to pull her out. The officers tried to get her, but quickly began sinking in the muck. She was found lying in the fetal position in a swamp 50 feet off of a trail. Three Easton police officers showed up, but they had no idea she had been missing until after the rescue. Eventually hikers heard Emma's cries for help and called 911. Officers from Stoughton Police combed the region for days. 'At the time we showed up, we couldn't see her, but we could hear her,' tells Easton Police Officer Corey McLaughlin, 'When we saw her lying there, we did initially try to pick her up, but the weight of her on top of our body weight sunk us further.'Įmma Tetewsky went missing on June 26, and didn't have her cellphone with her. The officers who rescued her are now telling their story. She told Easton Police officers she was stuck in swamp mud for three days at Borderland State Park. Police discuss difficult rescue of Stoughton woman trapped in mud 02:19ĮASTON - A Stoughton woman is safe after she went missing for more than a week.