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 Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information.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.
AMERICAN FORK — A man fell to his death while hiking in American Fork Canyon over Labor Day weekend.
Thomas James Rawe, 45, of Apline, was hiking directly north of the toll booth late Saturday when he texted a friend that his phone battery was at 1% and to let him know he was on his way to meet him for food and water, Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon said.
Rawe also set a picture to his friend showing steep terrain and the fee booth, where they planned to meet in 45 minutes. When Rawe didn't show up, search and rescue responded and searched in the dark for a few hours.
"While we don't know specifically happened to cause the fall, it is likely Mr. Rawe lost his footing or stumbled, then fell and tumbled several hundred feet down the steep slope," a press release from the Utah County Sheriff's Office said.
Search and rescue struggled with the search that night and called off the operation because of the dangerous terrain. Early Sunday morning, search and rescue returned with the Department of Public Safety and one of its helicopters, and they found that the man had fallen and died, according to the statement.
A volunteer was flown to the area to keep Rawe's body from falling further down the mountain, and he was carried to a nearby parking lot by helicopter.
The sheriff's office said Rawe was single and was a "favorite uncle" to his nieces and nephews.
"The Utah County Sheriff's Office expresses our sincerest condolences to his family and friends," the statement said.
