An Alaska man says he is probably the “luckiest man alive” after surviving nearly three hours pinned face down in an icy creek by a 700-pound boulder during a remote hike near Godwin Glacier, south of Anchorage. “And luckier that I have such a great wife after his wife played a key role in his rescue,” he added.
Kell Morris, 61, was hiking with his wife, Jo Roop, near Godwin Glacier south of Anchorage last Saturday when a section of rocky terrain gave way beneath him. As they navigated a rugged, undeveloped trail, Morris noticed massive boulders—some weighing up to 1,000 pounds — lining the creek bed. He avoided them as best he could until he reached a section he couldn’t safely pass.
“I was coming back and everything, the whole side slid out from under me,” Morris told the Associated Press.
Morris tumbled 20 feet down an embankment into an icy creek and was immediately crushed by a falling boulder, part of what officials later called “an avalanche of boulders.” The rock pinned him face down in the freezing water, but miraculously, smaller stones beneath his body absorbed some of the impact, sparing him from being completely crushed.
His wife, Roop, a retired Alaska State Trooper, kept his head above the current and tried to shift the boulder herself for 30 minutes, using nearby rocks to gain leverage. When it became clear he wouldn’t budge, she set off for help. Luckily, she found a cell signal just 300 yards away and used her training to relay precise GPS coordinates to dispatchers.
Fortunately, a nearby sled dog tour company overheard the emergency call and diverted their helicopter to help, critical assistance in an area that was otherwise inaccessible to all-terrain vehicles. A volunteer firefighter with Bear Creek Fire Department, who also worked with the tour company, coordinated the airlift. Since the firefighters couldn’t navigate their all-terrain vehicles over the boulder field they jumped out of the helicopter and reached Morris just in time.
“I think if we hadn’t had that private helicopter assist us, it would have taken us at least another 45 minutes to get to him, and I’m not sure he had that much time,” said Seward Fire Department Chief Clinton Crites.
Rescuers used two airbags typically deployed in vehicle extractions to shift the boulder. “But then it just became an all-hands brute force of ‘one, two, three, push,’” Crites said. “And seven guys were able to lift it enough to pull the victim out.” An Alaska National Guard helicopter later hoisted Morris and his rescuers out of the creek bed with a rescue basket.
Morris spent two nights in the hospital for observation but escaped with only minor injuries. “I fully anticipated a body recovery, not him walking away without a scratch on him,” Crites said.
Back home in Seward, Morris reflected on the experience: “I was very lucky. God was looking out for me.” He and Roop say they’ll be sticking to established trails from now on. “We’re going to stop the trailblazing,” he added.
Hiker Survives Being Pinned Down by 700 Pound-Boulder. Here’s How He Escaped first appeared on Men’s Journal on May 30, 2025
