Hiker Survives Night on Mountain
By Elizabeth Stuart and Sara Israelsen Deseret Morning News
AMERICAN FORK CANYON — After a cold night on Mt. Timpanogos, a 43-year-old man who didn’t return from a day hike Tuesday is safe and in good condition.
About 7 p.m. Wednesday, John Harold Ball, accompanied by rescue personnel, walked back down the trail from which he had lost his way Tuesday afternoon.
Ball, who was confused and having difficulty speaking, was transported to a local Utah County hospital to be treated for hypothermia, said Utah County Sheriff’s Lt. Yvette Rice.
Otherwise, it didn’t appear he had sustained any physical injury from the ordeal, police said.
“We believe if he had not been found and rescued when he was, he probably would not have made it through the night,” Rice said. “He was in a dangerous situation, no doubt.”
Utah County search-and-rescue crews treated Ball for heat loss before rappelling him down the mountain where he was found at about 4:23 Wednesday. Police estimated he was at an elevation of about 8,500 feet.
Because of extreme weather conditions, the man could not be airlifted off the mountain, Rice said.
Ball, who spent the night on the mountain, was dressed only for a day hike. He had a small amount of food and water but wasn’t prepared for the dramatic drop in temperatures, police said.
Temperatures Tuesday night were as low as 38 degrees. Five to 8 inches of snow powdered the canyon Wednesday, police said.
Ball started out on the hike on the Timpooneke trail with his wife and child, expecting a three-hour walk. When his family got tired and turned back, Ball kept hiking alone. He became lost after taking a wrong turn, according to a police report.
“Apparently he took the Summit Trail and didn’t realize he had gotten on another trail,” Rice said. “He got sidetracked and ended up getting stuck.”
Ball’s wife flagged down a sheriff’s deputy driving through the canyon at about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday after she saw a weak light signal coming from the mountain. She reportedly spoke with her husband on his cell phone at about 11:45 p.m. Tuesday, and he told her he had taken a wrong turn, police said.
Utah County search-and-rescue crews worked through the high winds, rain and snow conditions in the Scout Falls area of American Fork Canyon looking for Ball. One crew member was taken to the hospital to be treated for hypothermia, and another was treated on site.
Rice said weather was a “huge problem” during the search. Visibility was low, it had been raining and snowing and winds were gusting up to 40 miles per hour, she said.
Most of the 35 search-and-rescue personnel who aided in the search were volunteers.
“You cannot pull those people off the mountain without a fight because of their dedication to the public,” Rice said. “The conditions were very icy, very cold and very dangerous, but they kept searching until they found him.”
E-mail: estuart@desnews.com; sisraelsen@desnews.com
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