This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter crew accidentally found a family of four Sunday that had been stranded for two days along southern Utah's Escalante River.

The family, from Colorado, was in good condition and needed no medical attention or assistance after the rescue, said Luke Bowman, the helicopter pilot who flew the family of rafters to safety.

Bowman, who is the chief pilot for the Department of Public Safety Aero Bureau, had been looking for a kayaker who was overdue.

He spotted a man on a sandbar, waving his hat in the air, trying to get the helicopter crew's attention. Bowman landed to allow what the Aero Bureau calls the tactical flight officer to talk to the man.

The tactical flight officer then radioed to Bowman to explain the man who signaled the helicopter wasn't the kayaker. He was with his wife and daughters, ages 17 and 13, who had crashed during a weeklong rafting trip that was due to end Saturday. They crashed into boulders Friday during high water after a storm. They lost their boats and were down to "half a paddle," Bowman said.

Location of rescue, according to DPS

Coordinates provided by the Department of Public Safety show that they were about 47 miles southeast of the town of Escalante. There was no cellphone service. The family had tried to hike out, but were in a steep canyon with about 1,000-foot-high cliffs, Bowman said.

Bowman landed again and spoke to everyone on the ground. He said the father was excited at first then downplayed the severity of the situation.

The mother, said Bowman, said something to the effect of, "Just get me out of this canyon."

Bowman said he and his partner made a plan.

"We just kind of went into business mode to get them out," Bowman said.

The helicopter seats four. Bowman flew the mother and daughters to the airport in Escalante.

After refueling at the airport, Bowman returned to the Escalante River to pick up the father and the tactical flight officer. Bowman then flew the father to the family's car so he could go pick up his family and take them home.

The kayaker was later found in good condition. He had missed the spot where he was supposed to get out of the river and had floated down to Lake Powell.

Bowman gives the family credit. They had told others where they would be and what time they should be out of the river and asked for help to be called if they did not check in on time. That call would have been made Sunday or Monday.

In the meantime, Bowman said, the family had enough food and water to survive until their rescue.

"Be prepared," Bowman advised others going into Utah's backcountry. "Know your route. Know what you're getting yourself into."

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims