Man Survives being Pinned by 700-Pound Boulder for Hours

In an unbelievable survival story straight out of the Alaskan wilderness, 61-year-old Kell Morris is lucky to be alive—after spending three freezing hours trapped under a 700-pound boulder in a remote glacial creek.

The incident unfolded Saturday near Godwin Glacier, outside Seward, Alaska. Morris and his wife, retired Alaska State Trooper Jo Roop, had been hiking along a rugged creek bed when disaster struck. What started as a casual holiday weekend outing quickly turned into a life-or-death struggle in one of the most unforgiving terrains in the country.

“We weren’t even on a trail,” Morris told reporters from his home. “It was just a rocky creek bed, nothing marked. That’s probably the last time we do that.”

Sudden Chaos

As the couple navigated around car-sized glacial boulders, the terrain gave way. Morris slipped and fell nearly 20 feet down an embankment—straight into the icy runoff from the glacier.

Then came the crushing blow.

“One second I was falling, the next I felt this massive weight slam into my back,” Morris recalled. “I thought, ‘This is it. I’m not walking away from this.’”

What pinned him wasn’t just any rock. It was a 700-pound slab of nature’s fury—part of what rescuers would later describe as a mini-avalanche of boulders. Somehow, rocks under and around him created just enough space to spare his life.

But he was stuck. Face-down in glacial runoff. And running out of time.

Wife Turned Lifesaver

Jo Roop, drawing on decades of emergency response experience, immediately kicked into gear.

She tried for 30 minutes to free him, stacking stones under the boulder and pushing with all her strength. When that failed, she hiked 300 yards through dense wilderness to find a cellphone signal.

Then, luck struck.

A volunteer firefighter, working part-time at Seward Helicopter Tours, overheard the 911 dispatch. The helicopter—normally reserved for sled dog tourists—was quickly repurposed for an emergency mission. Pilots flew straight to the scene.

The boulder field was too treacherous for vehicles. Rescuers had to jump from the hovering chopper onto the rocks.

Race Against Hypothermia

By the time the helicopter arrived, Morris was slipping in and out of consciousness. His wife held his head above the water to keep him from drowning as his body went into hypothermic shock.

“I think if we hadn’t had that private helicopter, he’d be dead,” said Seward Fire Chief Clinton Crites. “No question. The window was closing.”

With no room for machinery, firefighters deployed two high-pressure airbags typically used in car extractions. The boulder lifted—slightly.

Then came raw strength. Seven men shouted a unified “one, two, three—PUSH!” and forced the boulder just high enough to drag Morris out.

Rescued and Reborn

A National Guard helicopter arrived moments later to airlift Morris and the team to safety in a rescue basket.

He spent two nights in the hospital for observation. Incredibly, no bones were broken.

“I fully expected we’d be recovering a body,” said Crites. “Instead, he walked away. That just doesn’t happen.”

Morris himself is still in disbelief.

“It was a divine intervention, no doubt,” he said. “God, my wife, those firefighters, and that helicopter—any one of them missing, and I’m not here.”

No More Trailblazing

Now back home in Seward, Morris said he’s done taking chances in Alaska’s backcountry.

“We’re going to stick to trails from now on,” he said with a laugh. “No more off-roading.”

Seward Helicopter Tours echoed the sentiment in a Facebook post: “We’re proud to support Alaska’s brave first responders. So glad this story ended the way it did.”

From a near-death experience to a miraculous rescue, Morris’s story is a stark reminder of the raw power of nature—and the extraordinary strength of human courage and teamwork.

As Crites put it: “Every once in a while, the wilderness gives you a win. This was one of those days.”