Newly released helicopter footage shows the rescue of a hiker who fell from the summit of Mount Timpanogos in Utah and slid several hundred feet down a steep slope before stopping on a small cliff ledge. The Utah County Sheriff’s Office said the incident happened on October 26; it has not released the woman’s name or age.
Search-and-rescue crews first spotted the hiker from an airplane. A Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter crew then hoisted her from the ledge to an awaiting ambulance. The sheriff’s office said she was badly injured in the fall and was taken by the Lone Peak Fire Department to Utah Valley Hospital.
In a November 3 statement, the sheriff’s office said it had heard the hiker was recovering well and wished her a full recovery. The agency also thanked the organizations that responded, calling the incident a reminder of how quickly an outing can become life-threatening.
Mount Timpanogos is an 11,700-foot peak in Utah’s Wasatch Range, about 50 miles from Salt Lake City. Its two strenuous hiking routes, Timpooneke and Aspen Grove, are each roughly 14 miles out and back and cross snowfields and steep scree. Snowstorms can affect the high summit from late September, and conditions may become unpredictable. Responding agencies urge hikers to use caution around snow and ice, which can melt and refreeze into slippery surfaces.
Sources: Outside.