On July 20, 34-year-old Jacob “Jake” Schmitt, a hunting guide from Utah, set out into the Uinta Mountains to scout for mule deer with his loyal hunting partner, a six-year-old German shorthaired pointer named Buddy. Schmitt had spent most of his life in the mountains, but that day would turn into the toughest survival test he had ever faced.
While driving his Polaris Ranger UTV up a steep, unstable trail, the ground gave way. The vehicle tipped and rolled violently down the incline, flipping an estimated 15 to 20 times. Schmitt was thrown through the windshield during the second or third flip, and the machine rolled over him twice before continuing to crash downhill, tearing apart as it tumbled.
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Start The BootcampWhen the dust settled, Schmitt was left with devastating injuries. Both ankles were shattered, his ribs were broken, and his left leg was bent at an unnatural angle. He also dislocated his shoulder. His phone, radio, and satellite device were lost in the wreckage. For a moment, he thought Buddy might not have survived either—the dog had been crated in the back of the UTV. But to his relief, Buddy appeared beside him, wagging his tail, completely unhurt.
The crash had left Schmitt four miles from his parked truck, with no food, no water, no communication devices, and daylight fading. He tried to search for his lost gear but quickly realized he had little chance of finding it before nightfall. All he managed to recover from the wreck was a roll of duct tape. Using a piece of broken metal from the UTV and a stick, he forced his mangled leg back into position and created a makeshift splint.
“I was way more scared to lose my leg than to rebreak it,”
he later said.
With no way to walk, Schmitt made the decision to crawl. He began dragging himself down the mountain, pulling his broken body across dry creek beds, rocky trails, and through cold streams. Every movement was agony, the pain “absolutely excruciating,” as he described it. But Buddy never left his side.
In the pitch-black night, the small LED on Buddy’s collar became Schmitt’s only light source. When Schmitt blacked out from exhaustion, Buddy nudged him awake. At creek crossings, the dog allowed Schmitt to rest his shattered leg across his back. When Schmitt felt ready to give up, Buddy would move a little farther ahead, encouraging him to follow.
“It’s like having your friend with you. Without that, I would’ve broken down mentally and then physically. I don’t think I would’ve made it out.”
Schmitt explained.
For 11 hours, through six stream crossings and endless crawling, the two pushed forward together. By sunrise, Schmitt had dragged himself five miles back to his truck. Despite his broken bones, he managed to drive about 20 minutes into the nearest town.
He pulled into the Oakley Diner, where waitress Yenni Saiz was starting her shift. Seeing him bloodied and injured, she immediately called 911. Paramedics rushed him to Park City Hospital, where doctors inserted rods and screws into his leg and closed his wounds with over 100 staples.
He spent several days recovering before being reunited with Buddy, who had been cared for by the fire department. Their reunion, Schmitt said, was nothing short of emotional—Buddy nearly leapt onto his hospital bed with excitement.
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Join The BootcampIt wasn’t the first time Buddy had saved Schmitt’s life. Two years earlier, while welding in the backcountry, Buddy’s barking alerted him to a bear sneaking up from behind, just 10 or 15 feet away. The dog’s warning scared the animal off before it could attack.
This time, Buddy’s loyalty and calm presence gave Schmitt the strength to survive.
“I felt very obligated that I had to get Buddy out. There was a huge push to see my family and loved ones again, too.”
he said.
Friends and family set up a GoFundMe to support his recovery. Donations quickly poured in, raising more than $29,000 of its $24,000 goal.
Now back home, Schmitt is still healing and preparing for physical therapy. Despite everything, he says he has no plans to stop hunting and guiding.
“Learn how to do everything with nothing. Self-rescue—figure out how to do that. Otherwise, I’d still be laying there.”
he advises others.
As for Buddy, Schmitt has promised him T-bone steaks for life—the least he can do for the dog who lit his way out of the mountains and gave him the will to keep going when giving up seemed easier.
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