This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Authorities believe they have found the body of an Australian outdoorsman, more than five years after he went missing while hiking the Uintah Mountains' rugged Highline Trail.
Summit County Sheriff's Sgt. Ron Bridge confirmed Wednesday that it appeared the remains of 64-year-old Eric Robinson, a veteran of hiking excursions in the Himalayas, were found late Friday near Allsop Lake by a father and son from Coalville.
The remains were located, along with Robinson's backpack and tent, at a spot about 500 yards west of the Summit-Duchesne County line.
He had been dropped off by friends on July 28, 2011, at the Chepeta Lake Trailhead in Wyoming, to hike the 70-mile High Line Trail. When he did not show up as expected Aug. 7 at the trail head near Mirror Lake, family and friends reported him missing.
He was last seen by a troop of Boy Scouts on Aug. 2, 2011, after he had apparently gotten confused and lost. At that time, Robinson was roughly 4 miles south of the trail, walking in the Yellowstone Creek drainage, sheriff's officials said at the time.
Search and rescue teams spent several weeks looking for Robertson without success.
While further DNA testing will be done by the Utah State Medical Examiner's Office to formally confirm the identity of the remains, authorities believe they are those of Robertson "due to the proximity of [his] personal belongings" to the body's location.
Twitter: @remims