One Hiker Still Missing Near Lone Peak

[Iceaxe]

One Hiker Still Missing Near Lone Peak
July 31st, 2006 @ 4:00pm
Tonya Papanikolas Reporting

Search crews are looking for a hiker who disappeared last night in Alpine. The boy's friend was rescued this morning.

The boys went rock climbing yesterday morning. They were trying to hike up Lone Peak. The terrain turned out to be steeper than they'd expected so they started hiking back down. Problems arose when it got dark very quickly and they ran into a water source they hadn't seen before. That's where 20-year old Nathan Wallace fell.

As Eric Monfrooy and Nathan Wallace came back down from hiking Lone Peak, they got lost in a slippery area.

Eric Monfrooy, Rescued Hiker: "It was just a little trickle of water with moss. It was just really slick granite"

Rebecca Wallace, Missing Hiker's Mother: "Eric called for him for about 20 minutes and didn't get an answer."

Eric Monfrooy: "His headlamp got lost along the way down so we were going off my light. And so that's probably what ended up leading to his fall."

The two young men had hiked too far to the left and got stuck in a tight spot. Since it was getting dark, they decided to stash their equipment in the mountains. As Nate slipped, officers say he hit something hard on his side and fell down a steep cliff.

Rebecca Wallace, Missing Hiker's Mother: "My biggest concern of course is that he has not survived the night. That's a possibility, I sure hope I'm wrong."

Nathan's mom says her son is an excellent climber and very strong. It just looks like they got in over their heads.

Ground crews and helicopters are out searching today. At one point, Eric Monfrooy took crews to a spot he thought they might have been, but it was so dark last night, he was only able to get them to a general area. The brush is very thick and dense in that area, so it's proving to be a difficult search.

[Iceaxe]

Body of Lost Hiker Found
August 1st, 2006 @ 4:20pm

(KSL News) -- Rescue teams recovered the body of a missing hiker from mountains in Utah County this afternoon.

Searchers brought Nathan Wallace's body off the mountain near Alpine a few hours ago.

Wallace was reported missing Monday morning. Authorities say he'd been hiking with a friend, Eric Monfrooy, when he became disoriented and fell.

Monfrooy survived the ordeal. Search teams rescued him yesterday.

[Sombeech]

Yeah, I heard about this on the radio this morning. Bad deal. :sad:

[Alex]

I heard on the news he fell into the water and then died there. They didn't say if he died on impact or not....

Never the less, a hard way to go, at least he went while doing what he loved.

[accadacca]

Bloody hell man! How many hikers have gone this year? They are dropping like flies... :eek2:

[Alex]

Seems like this guy was an experienced hiker. But hiking without a cell phone is kind of silly in this day and age.

[cachehiker]

I know this kid's father and to say the least, I'm not looking forward to calling him tonight. We're out hiking together a few times each summer and xc skiing every other weekend through the winter. If Nathan is anything like his dad, and I believe he is, then he is a very experienced and intelligent outdoorsman and naturalist.

As far as hiking with a cell phone goes, I rarely do it because I rarely have coverage beyond the foothills above town. It seems like just another "bling" thing some marketing exec thinks I should have with me each and every time I'm outdoors. Cell phone, 2-way radio, GPS, heart rate monitor, digital camera, binoculars, headlamps, water filters, emergency shelters, locator beacons, shovels, ropes, avalanche tranceivers, ... How about a portable defibrillator? It's only another 4.7 lbs. or so. There's a point where common sense takes over.

I am curious as to where exactly this mossy ledge is. Does anybody know?

[Glockguy]

I

Cell phone, 2-way radio, GPS, heart rate monitor, digital camera, binoculars, headlamps, water filters, emergency shelters, locator beacons, shovels, ropes, avalanche tranceivers,



What's funny is that I carry 11/12 of these things on some trips in winter.

[Alex]

I

Cell phone, 2-way radio, GPS, heart rate monitor, digital camera, binoculars, headlamps, water filters, emergency shelters, locator beacons, shovels, ropes, avalanche tranceivers,



What's funny is that I carry 11/12 of these things on some trips in winter.

Heh same here. To me, common sense is being prepared for whatever can happen out there. To each their own I guess.

[stefan]

As far as hiking with a cell phone goes, I rarely do it because I rarely have coverage beyond the foothills above town. It seems like just another "bling" thing some marketing exec thinks I should have with me each and every time I'm outdoors. Cell phone, 2-way radio, GPS, heart rate monitor, digital camera, binoculars, headlamps, water filters, emergency shelters, locator beacons, shovels, ropes, avalanche tranceivers,



cell phones? well, i think of them this way ... aren't gonna help you at ALL in southern utah or any remote areas, since they often don't even work on most of utah highways (not interstate). HOWEVER, i think there are many precedents for using cell phones near cities, especially around the wasatch front. i think i remember a guy a couple of years ago in rocky-mouth canyon who fell down a waterfall (30ft?) and was caught above a huge (150ft?) cliff, basically screwed, broken leg(?). whipped out his still phone, called and was rescued. when you're doing something potentially dangerous in the mountains around the wasatch front, especially alone, then it can most definitely serve to help you save yourself, unless you don't want to take advantage of that ... of course if you have reception ... rocky mouth canyon is in a particularly good location to have reception. elsewhere may not be.


I completely disagree about avalanche transceivers, though. these are a necessity for ANY backcountry skier. for 2 reasons, (1) to save your partners or for them to save you, and (2) so the SAR/authorities can actually find your body and not need to wait till the spring thaw. this can save a bit of tax payer money and many folks time if they aren't endlessly searching for your body. i would not call this BLING!

[Alex]

...and not bring a digital camera on an outdoor trip. Dude! On this site it's a crime not to take pictures. You yourself have a pic of you on a bike....how did you get??? :nono:

[Iceaxe]

I carry water purification tablets for emergency use instead of a water filter. A couple of tablets weigh no more then a couple of Asprin.

Water Purification Tablets
http://www.rei.com/product/676.htm?vcat=REI_SEARCH

http://images.rei.com/media/407071Lrg.jpg

[accadacca]

...and not bring a digital camera on an outdoor trip. Dude! On this site it's a crime not to take pictures. :nono:
True dat! :nod:

[cachehiker]

There are a lot of trips where I carry a half-dozen or maybe eight of these items myself. However, if I don't have coverage at the trailhead and know I'm not going to have coverage on the trail, I'm not gonna bring a freakin' cell phone to play tetris. I will leave it in the car.

I won't bother with a GPS on a local trail in daylight when I hike it twice a year every year. My heart rate monitor gets used about five times per year, maybe once for a power hike, trail run, or xc ski workout. I'm not out there to show off how many gadgets I can afford.

I usually carry the digital camera, some binoculars, or an SLR but rarely more than one at a time. Binoculars aren't as much fun without wildlife and my digital camera is poorly equipped for nature photography. The SLR is awesome at 400mm zoom but weighs as much as a six pack of beer. Question is, what am I after?

Avalanche tranceiver for a groomed skate ski? Definitely for the backcountry, but there's a lot of gray area between the two extremes.

I generally come prepared but simply equipped. Some friends go overboard. I find keeping my pack under 12 lbs. for a 10 mile hike isn't hard at all. And that's without leaving my emergency ditty or first aid kit at home.

Nathan was a certified Wilderness First Responder. Cell phone or not, I'd be inclined to think he was reasonably well prepared.