Hiker freezes to death in Box Elder County

By Amy Macavinta

April 1, 2008| BRIGHAM CITY -- After more than five hours of searching on his own and a two-hour drive to Snowville to get cell phone reception, a Salt Lake City man was finally able to place a call to the Box Elder County Sheriff's Office early Monday morning to report his friend missing.

The two men had been hiking Sunday evening in a remote area of western Box Elder County.

According to Box Elder County Sheriff Lynn Yeates, dispatch received the call at about 4 a.m. Monday. Yeates said he, two deputies, and a Search and Rescue arrived at Clear Creek and set up a base camp at 8 a.m. Just an hour and half into the search, they found the missing hiker, a 47-year-old Salt Lake City man, in a ravine where he had frozen to death overnight.

"The temperature dropped to about 10 degrees last night, and with 20 mph winds, it was about 10 below zero," said Yeates.

The two hikers were familiar with the area, but somehow ended up in the ravine. They lost contact with one another at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday. The surviving hiker managed to find his way out of the ravine, but then continued to search for his friend until 2 a.m. before making the call for help.

Clear Creek is a popular camping area, approximately 80 miles west of Brigham City, near the Utah-Idaho border. Names of the two hikers have not been released.

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