Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Nicole Gonzales reportingRain and snow dampening the Wasatch Front. The storm hit with a vengeance this morning -- first pounding Utah County with rain and then moving into Salt Lake City, Ogden, and the canyons.
The weather affected a search and rescue effort for a lost and possibly trapped hiker in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Search and rescue crews found the 18-year-old man around 11:30 a.m. They brought him down the mountain. We don't know what his condition is, or if he suffered any injuries.
Luckily his cell phone service worked in the area, and he was able to talk to Salt Lake County Sheriff's officials.
But with the stormy weather, there are a lot of questions as to why this hiker was even up there. Sgt. Paul Christensen, with the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office, said, "He stated that he really intentionally didn't go ... mean to go as far as he did. He just started hiking, and then I think he got out his element. He got cliffed out."
The Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office got the call around 10:00 a.m. from the man saying he was cliffed out under a tree in Little Cottonwood Canyon, about a mile into the canyon; meaning he was stuck, he couldn't climb up or go down the steep cliff.
The hiker told officers over he didn't know the area that well so couldn't quite explain where he was on the mountain. Salt Lake County sent two rescue teams to search for him. The hiker also told deputies he could see the search command post when the clouds lifted.
Authorities say that he was alone and that his family, as far as they know, didn't know he was hiking at this time.
E-mail: ngonzales @ksl.com
