Two Belgians split up during a Death Valley hike. One had to be rescued

Rangers at Death Valley National Park conducted an emergency rescue mission on Wednesday, successfully removing a hiker who was stuck in Mosaic Canyon, one of the park’s more difficult hikes.

Death Valley, about 130 miles from Las Vegas, is a popular spot for recreation. Current winter months offer a reprieve from its famous scorching temperatures, which bring tourists from around the world to the Mojave Desert annually.

At a junction in the canyon, two hikers from Belgium split up, and one of them ended up stuck in a steep, unstable gully, or a ravine once formed by running water, according to a news release from the park.

With only a T-shirt and no extra clothing, food or water, the hiker called for help on a satellite phone, and rangers reached him about 40 minutes after sunset. Due to the possibility of the blades loosening rocks above him, rangers ruled out the initial idea of using a rescue helicopter from Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, a nearby base.

Rangers gave the man a harness and a helmet before lowering him down the steep slope, also wrapping webbing around a boulder to secure his descent.

The rescue mission was complete around 7 p.m., rangers said.

Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.