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MOUNTAIN HOME, Duchesne County — A Boy Scout from Wasatch County spent more than 12 hours separated from his troop in the High Uintas before he was spotted Wednesday by a Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter crew.
The 15-year-old from Midway was part of a troop that had hiked to Five Point Lake to camp, according to the Duchesne County Sheriff's Office.
On Tuesday night, the troop went fishing at nearby Superior Lake. Some of the Scouts decided to return to camp, which was about a half mile away, the sheriff's office said.
The 15-year-old initially stayed at the lake with the rest of the troop, then decided to try and catch up with the Scouts who had already headed back to camp. That's when he got lost, deputies said.
When Scout leaders realized the boy was missing about 9 p.m., one of them began a 12-mile hike to call for help, according to the sheriff's office, which received the first report of a missing person about 6 a.m. Wednesday.
Members of the sheriff's search and rescue team were called to the Yellowstone trail head in Yellowstone Canyon, about 40 miles north of Duchesne, to begin looking for the teen. Authorities also requested help from the DPS helicopter.
The helicopter crew spotted the missing Scout just before 10:15 a.m. They were able to land nearby and determine that the teen was "in perfect health," deputies said.
The boy was flown by helicopter back to his troop's campsite.
