A hiker had a lucky escape this week after setting out on a mountain expedition wearing flip-flops and slipping 30ft down a waterfall.
As the Sacramento Bee reports, the 25-year-old (who hasn't been named) was hiking up Bridal Veil Falls in Utah when the accident happened. The falls are a popular destination for hikers, and the 1.4-mile out-and-back trail is generally regarded as easy.
According to AllTrails, the first part of the route is paved, but further along the trail becomes trickier with dirt and wet, loose rocks. Most of the trail has a gentle gradient, with the steepest sections being between 0.5 and 0.9 miles.
The hiker was only about 20 minutes into his walk when he fell. "Had he slid a few more feet he would have fallen over 100ft more straight down," said the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
The man was rescued by teams including the fire department, sheriff’s office and Utah County Sheriff Search and Rescue. Hr was treated for injuries at the scene, then taken to hospital in a stable condition.
“We are relieved he wasn’t injured worse or possibly killed,” the fire department said. “Wear appropriate shoes, clothing, gear, etc on ANY hikes you take!!”
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