He Survived the Night With Prayers After Getting Lost On a Hike, Clinging to Jesus and His Faith

With no way out of a steep ravine in the wilderness, a 67-year-old hiker turned to the one thing he could be sure of–God. So he turned to praying while lost on the hike. It was nearly 12 hours before a 40-person search and rescue team found him.

Hiker Turns to Praying While Lost on a Hike

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He was hiking on Mount Tamalpais in Marin County, California, when he fell into a ravine.

“I'm just happy to be back home with my wife and family and friends,” said the hiker, Grant Gunderson, an investor from Granite Bay, California. “I feel like God has blessed me with a second chance to make a difference for Him in this life.”

He left work in the early afternoon and got to the mountain area. Grant had been on the Cataract Trail there over 20 times before, but this time, he decided to go on a steeper trail he’d hiked once before. At 5:40, he texted his wife to tell her his phone was dying.

After descending the trail, he reached an unfamiliar body of water and became disoriented. 

“At this point, it was just me and God, nature and the animals in the park," he says.

While trying to find his way, he slipped due to recent rainfall that made the ground soft. 

A Steep Fall and a Cry for Help

“I slipped and lost traction and suddenly found myself careening quickly down a steep ravine feet first in a sitting position,” said Grant. 

He quickly shouted, "Jesus help and save me!" as he rolled and flipped headfirst into the dark ravine. 

He came to a stop with his head facing downhill. He saw two boulders next to a creek bed below. 

“I knew that if my fall had not stopped, my head would have hit it, causing me a possible concussion or even death,” he says. 

“I was never afraid because I knew that God was going to help me get rescued from the ravine,” he says. “Sooner or later, there would be a search partly looking for me.”

A Hopeful Sign

He walked to the water and saw a drone’s lights overhead, but it didn’t see him. He stumbled along for a while before taking a break on a log. 

He sat there for almost 40 minutes. Then, he saw three headlights on a trail near the lake. “Help, I'm Grant and I've fallen. I'm over here!” he called out. 

Rescued, At Last

His worried wife had been the one who called in multiple agencies for help. It was just after 2 a.m. when they found Grant, who had only minor injuries and was a little dehydrated. The “Find My” app on Grant’s phone had helped the agencies locate him. 

“He was able to walk back to the trailhead with assistance from the search team,” said Marin County Search and Rescue. “He was then transported by a deputy back to his vehicle.”

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The first thing Grant asked for was for responders to tell his wife that he was safe. 

“I was so glad to drive home and hug and see my wife,” says Grant. 

His advice for other hikers is to always have a charged cell phone with a tracking app and “never give up and never panic!”

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h/t: People

Featured Image Credit: CANVA 

Michaela Gordoni is an avid reader and part-time globe-trotter. With a bachelor's degree in International Relations and experience in the non-profit world, she has a passion for people and reporting. You can check out her portfolio here.