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There were some scary moments for a hiker who got lost yesterday in American Fork Canyon: He had a run-in with bears.
It was around this time last year when a bear killed a boy in American Fork Canyon. Luckily, this missing hiker made it out alive. He was hiking in the picturesque scenery of Tibble Fork.
Sgt. Tom Hodgson of the Utah County Sheriff's Office said, "A 28-year-old man from Sandy came up here yesterday and had begun his hike around 8:45 a.m."
But hours later, he found himself unexpectedly spending the night in these woods.
"He did run into a couple of bears on the mountain last night. He had some bear repellent but didn't need to use it," Hodgson explained.
The hiker went into hiding. But then a storm rolled in over the mountains. "He wasn't really prepared for the storm or what happened last night. He didn't have a lot of provisions with him, and that's something we caution people on, especially this time of year," Hodgson said.
In a separate incident, a search for a missing hiker yesterday did not turn out well. Christina Traylor, 19, died after falling 100 feet from a ledge in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
This latest missing hiker did a couple of smart things, according to Sgt. Hodgson. "The fact that he let his parents know where he was going and what time he would be back obviously led us to start up this trail head. We found his vehicle here," he said.
Early this morning, rescuers spotted the missing man from the air. When search crews found him, officials say he was tired, dehydrated, and had mild hypothermia. Luckily, he told his family where he was going, and fortunately, bears didn't attack him.
E-mail: gkennedy@ksl.com
E-mail: rjeppesen@ksl.com
