http://www.ksl.com/?nid=960&sid=15553540Video embed:
Scouts return to safety after losing hiking trail
May 15th, 2011 @ 12:58pm
By ksl.com
The scouts called Davis County dispatch for help after losing the trail through the canyon from Elephant Rock because of snow, Davis County Sheriff's Sgt. Susan Poulsen said Sunday.
"It sounds like it was mostly bad luck due to the snowpack. I'm not sure that anyone is really aware of how much snow we have up in the mountains right now," Poulsen told KSL NewsRadio. "The trail was snowed over."
"It sounds like it was mostly bad luck due to the snowpack. I'm not sure that anyone is really aware of how much snow we have up in the mountains right now. The trail was snowed over." -Susan Poulsen
She said a search and rescue team and a helicopter were brought in to help locate the scouts, who had been following a creek. When they were spotted, the helicopter dropped off several people to help the scouts prepare to stay the night.
That turned out not to be necessary when the search and rescue reached them about 11 p.m. and determined the scouts were able to walk out of the canyon.
No one was injured, Poulsen said, just cold and wet.
She noted the scouts and their leaders were well prepared for the hike, equipped with cell phones and a GPS device as well as food and water. Poulsen urged all hikers to take similar precautions and to be especially careful given the current snowpack levels.
"We would like to make sure the public is aware to just be extra cautious this year. There will be heavy running water and many other challenges with the snow," Poulsen said in the radio interview. "And it can present problems with avalanches and other dangers that maybe we're not real familiar with at this time of year."
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