A 14-year-old girl named Aloha Joy spent the night lost in Zion National Park earlier this week, after getting separated from her group while hiking ‘the Narrows.’

According to the National Park Service (NPS), the Narrows is a trail that runs through the narrowest portion of Zion Canyon, traveling through the Virgin River at points. Hikers that take the trail have to wade periodically throughout the route.

Aloha Joy was reportedly hiking with her family on July 18, when they decided to split into two groups to accommodate the slower hikers, according to a Facebook post from the girl’s mother, Aurelia Lunceford.

At one point the teen decided to try and catch up with the faster group, and accidentally wandered off route into Orderville Gulch. 

“She truly thought she was still in the narrows. She got to a huge rock and was determined to scale it so she could finish ‘catching up.’ She finally threw her shoes up onto the top hoping to climb with her bare feet. She bruised her knees badly in her attempts to climb the rock and in the end lost her shoes and couldn’t make it,” the post reads. 

NPS first received a report about the missing girl later that night, officials said. A search and rescue mission was launched in the park early the next morning. 

“My daughter slept in mud and was surrounded by bugs. Her food had been spoiled by river water. She did have water and a water filter,” Lunceford said. 

Aloha Joy was located early the next morning by Zion Search and Rescue crews. According to NPS, she was cold but otherwise healthy. 

“She didn’t complain, even though walking out without shoes was extremely painful. They carried her out on a stretcher when they got to the hot paved path. People knew about her from Facebook and cheered,” her mother reported. 

Fortunately, this situation had a positive outcome, but serves as a good reminder of the possible hazards of entering natural spaces. 

It’s not a good idea to separate from your group while hiking in an area that you may not be familiar with. Given the circumstances, this situation could have been deadly.

It’s also important to prepare for unexpected situations even if that means carrying around additional equipment like extra food, water, and layers to stay warm.

A GPS device, like a Garmin inReach product, is also a great tool to have with you. Carrying one can help you establish a line of communication with emergency response teams, if needed, in most cases. Narrow rock formations, water, and underground areas can limit functionality of some satellite-based communication devices.

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