A noted adventure racer spent two nights stranded in the Utah back country and now her dog is being declared a hero.
A prominent adventure racer from Colorado is recovering after an injury that left her stranded for two nights near Moab, Utah.
Danelle Ballengee, 35, left her home in Moab on Wednesday, December 13, 2007 for a two-hour run near the Amasa Back Trail. During her run, Ballengee slipped on ice and fell over a series of three drops, each of which was 10 to 20 feet high. With her pelvis fractured in four places, Ballengee spent the next five hours crawling to a location that would increase her chances of being seen or rescued. During the two nights she was stranded, Ballengee faced 20-degree weather while clad in only lightweight running gear. She did sit-ups and upper body work to stay warm, ate the two packets of energy gel that she had carried with her and drank melted snow from a puddle when her hydration pack ran empty. During the first night Ballengee's 3-year-old dog, Taz helped her stay warm.
On Thursday a neighbor alerted Ballengee's family that she hadn't returned from her run. Early Friday afternoon the Moab police located Ballengee's truck and the Grand County Search and Rescue Team assembled at the trailhead. It was then that Ballengee's dog, Taz was seen on the trail. He led rescuers on the five-mile hike to where he had left Ballengee.
Ballengee was taken to St. Mary's Hospital in western Colorado and then transferred to Denver Health Medical Center where she has undergone surgery to repair her pelvis. She also suffered from internal bleeding, frostbite and several bumps and bruises.
Danelle Balengee is a prominant adventure racer and member of Team Spyder as well as a former member of Team Nike.
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