An Alaska man who was pinned facedown in an icy creek by a 700-pound boulder for three hours survived the ordeal with only minor injuries, thanks in part to his wife’s quick thinking and lots of luck.
Kell Morris’ wife held his head above water to prevent him from drowning while waiting for rescuers to arrive after Morris was pinned by the boulder, which crashed onto him during a hike near a remote glacier south of Anchorage.
His second stroke of luck came when a sled dog tourism company that operates on the glacier overheard the 911 dispatch and offered up its helicopter to ferry rescuers to the scene, which was inaccessible to all-terrain vehicles.
Once rescuers arrived, it took seven men and inflatable airbags to lift the boulder off as he drifted in and out of consciousness.
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This May 24, 2025, photo shows Kell Morris, upper right in a brown hat, trapped under a 700-pound rock near Seward, Alaska.
Jason Harrington/Seward Fire Department via AP
Morris, 61, said he realizes he is probably the luckiest man alive. “And luckier that I have such a great wife,” he said Thursday.
His wife, Jo Roop, is a retired Alaska State Trooper. They moved to Seward, about 120 miles south of Anchorage, from Idaho last fall when she took a job with the local police department.
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On Saturday, they wanted to avoid the big crowds that converge on the Kenai Peninsula community during holidays and decided to hike near Godwin Glacier on an isolated and undeveloped trail behind a state prison, Seward Fire Chief Clinton Crites said.
Their trail was actually a rocky creek bed lined with large boulders deposited by the glacier.
Morris said he noticed dangerous boulders, some weighing up to 1,000 pounds, along the banks of the creek and avoided them the best he could, until he ran into an area he couldn’t pass.
“I was coming back and everything, the whole side slid out from under me,” he said.
He said things became a blur as he tumbled down the embankment about 20 feet, landing face down in the water.
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Then he immediately felt the boulder hit his back in what Crites described as “basically an avalanche of boulders.”
The way Morris landed, there were rocks under him, in between his legs and around him that caught the weight of the boulder, preventing him from being crushed, Crites said. But the massive rock still had him pinned, and Morris felt intense pain in his left leg and waited for his femur to snap.
“When it first happened, I was doubtful that there was going to be a good outcome,” Morris said.
This May 24, 2025, photo shows the creek near Seward, Alaska, where Kell Morris was trapped under a 700-pound rock.
Jason Harrington/Seward Fire Department via AP
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His wife tried to free him for about 30 minutes, putting rocks under the boulder and trying to roll it off him, before she left to find a cell signal.
Amazingly, she only had to walk about 300 yards to connect with 911 and relied on her law enforcement experience to send exact GPS coordinates to dispatch.
A volunteer at the neighboring Bear Creek Fire Department heard the call while working at the sled dog tourism operation and diverted the helicopter used to ferry tourists to the scene. Ultimately, firefighters who couldn’t navigate their all-terrain vehicles over the boulder field jumped out of the helicopter.
“The patient was in a boulder field and the helicopter could only hover while firefighters had to jump from the helicopter to the ground as the helicopter could not land safely,” the Seward Fire Department said in a statement posted to Facebook.
By this time, Morris was hypothermic from the cold water running off the glacier, Crites said, and his wife was holding his head out of the water.
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“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,” Crites said.
The Bear Creek Fire Department said it assisted the Seward Fire Department. “After dispatch one of our volunteers who was working with Seward Helicopter Tours contacted us and offered assistance by helicopter,” the Bear Creek Fire Department wrote on Facebook. “The pilot of the helicopter immediately jumped into action and helped haul gear and rescuers up to the patient aiding in quick response to the patient.”
The firefighters used two airbags normally reserved to extract people from wrecked vehicles to slightly lift 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 lifted them out of the creek bed with a rescue basket.
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Morris spent two nights at the local hospital for observation but walked away unscathed.
“I fully anticipated a body recovery, not him walking away without a scratch on him,” Crites said.
Morris, who is now reflecting on his ordeal at home, acknowledged it might have been a little wake-up call to stop doing things like this at his age.
“I was very lucky. God was looking out for me,” he said.
When he and his wife go hiking this weekend, they are going to stick to established trails.
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“We’re going to stop the trailblazing,” he said.
“We are grateful we could support our first responders and help someone in need. So glad this story had a positive ending,” Seward Helicopter Tours wrote on Facebook.
(Soldotna) – To allow anglers additional harvest opportunity of Kasilof River sockeye salmon, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is increasing the bag and possession limit for sockeye salmon, 16 inches or greater in length, to six fish per day and twelve fish in possession; however, no more than two salmon per day and two in possession may be coho salmon, in all portions of the Kasilof River open to salmon fishing. These provisions are effective 12:01 a.m. Friday, June 26 through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, December 31, 2026.
The biological escapement goal on the Kasilof River is 140,000-320,000 sockeye salmon. Through June 23, a total of 117,665 sockeye salmon have passed the Kasilof River sonar site. The current escapement of sockeye salmon into the Kasilof River is proceeding at a rate that is projected to exceed the biological escapement goal.
In addition to increasing the bag and possession limit for sockeye salmon, ADF&G issued emergency order 2-RS-1-32-26 expanding the area open to the personal use dip net fishery on the Kasilof River.
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For additional information, please contact the Soldotna ADF&G office at (907) 262-9368.
By Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire ProtectiononA White Mountain Crewmember feels for any remaining heat along the Rapeseed Fire (#275) outside of Delta Junction on June 24 2026. Photo/ Sam Porter
#222 Granite Fire– The Clackamas Crew joined the Southwest Type 1 Crew and TCC Squad A on the Granite Fire today. The fire is now 85% contained. A thermal detection drone was flown over the fire to identify any remaining heat. A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place and will continue tomorrow, meaning aircraft and drones that are not supporting firefighting operations are prohibited from flying over or near the incident. Crews are also checking windrows for remaining heat. Windrows are rows of trees left standing to reduce wind erosion on farmland. Firefighters will pile and burn dead or downed trees, as well as hazard trees with burned roots.
#257 Barley 2 Fire– All personnel have been demobilized from the Barley 2 Fire after it was declared contained and controlled. The fire will remain in monitor status. This will be the last update for this fire unless significant changes occur.
#268 Moosehead Fire– A boat is transporting TCC Squad C to the Moosehead Fire, where they are gridding the interior and checking for any remaining heat.
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The White Mountain T2IA crew stand in an arc, gridding the fire, looking for any smoke or heat. Photo/ Sam Porter
#275 Rapeseed Fire- The Rapeseed Fire is 80% contained. The White Mountain Type 2 Initial Attack Crew is constructing sawline and cold trailing the fire’s edge to locate and extinguish any remaining heat. A Nodwell continues to provide an effective way to transport personnel, equipment, supplies, and water through the remote, sensitive terrain while supporting suppression efforts.
#223 Pogo and #226 Shaw Fires continue to be in monitor status.
Map of Delta Area Fires. Click to download or enlarge
‹ More Firefighters Heading to Ambler for Jade Fire
Categories: Active Wildland Fire, Alaska DNR – Division of Forestry & Fire Protection (DFFP)
Tags: #FireYear2026 #2026AKFIRESEASON, 2026 Alaska Fire Season, Delta, Granite Fire, Moosehead Fire, Pogo Fire, Rapeseed Fire, Shaw Fire
Picture it: an 800-mile engineering marvel traversing Alaska’s rugged wilderness. An immense zinc mine powering Northwest Alaska’s economy. World-class sustainable harvests feeding global markets with seafood.
The Trans Alaska Pipeline System, Red Dog mine, and the Alaska fishing industry: These massive ventures represent high-stakes investments in infrastructure and resources that have transformed Alaska into a powerhouse of global energy, minerals, and food. Today, we call these ventures inspired, but that label masks a fundamental nuance and common misconception: there is a distinction between the risky and the reckless.
That line between bold visionary and reckless gambler is usually written in ink only after the dust settles and the checks clear. Winners are often labeled as geniuses while thousands of leaders who made similar bets but went bust are ignored. When you see any winner in the marketplace, their strategy can look like a guaranteed blueprint for success. This is survivorship bias in action, obsessing over the front-runners while ignoring the graveyard of those who made the same choices. Recklessness is a classic leadership trap, in part, because it is very easy to mistake good luck for repeatable strategy. Our brains are wired to find patterns in chaos, even when they don’t exist, and when a gamble pays off, it is easy to invent a story to explain why it worked. This explains, in part, why high-risk behavior is often rebranded as “visionary” in the business world.
Understanding the mechanics of recklessness can help a leader spot the difference between a smart move and a predictable bad one. It is the contrast between a high-wire artist using a safety net and having practiced the route, versus one who just hopes they don’t fall. The first one is making calculated moves, and the second is wishing for the best.
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The White Mountain T2IA crew stand in an arc, gridding the fire, looking for any smoke or heat. Photo/ Sam Porter 100vw, 700px”/><figcaption class=)
Map of Delta Area Fires. Click to download or enlarge
