This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
After a six-day search, authorities have found a Utah man who became lost while hiking near Lake Powell.
The 72-year-old Richfield man disappeared while hiking the Hole in the Rock of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Kane County, according to the National Park Service. He had told a friend that he planned a day hike to Lake Powell.
That friend called local police to report the hiker missing on Friday, four days after he had left for his excursion.
Investigators traced the hiker's cellphone to the Hole in the Rock area, and National Park rangers located his car at the Willow Creek trailhead; they found that he had logged his name into the trail registry.
A multiagency search — led by the Kane County Sheriff's Office and including the National Park Service, the Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Bureau of Land Management — continued for two days before workers in a DPS helicopter spotted the hiker Sunday afternoon.
The man was located about 2.5 miles southwest of the trailhead, according to the National Park Service.
"He was waving at the helicopter with his shirt," a news release reads. "His skin, bronzed by the sun, blended in with the surrounding rocks."
The man told rescuers that he became disoriented and hiked out of the canyon, looking for the trailhead.
He was flown out of the area by helicopter, and is being treated for dehydration. He was in "good health" despite being outdoors for six days, officials said.
"This hiker's life was saved by a call from a concerned friend," said Alan Alldredge, chief Kane County deputy. "Hiking with a friend, and letting someone know specifically where you plan to hike, and when you plan to return, can make the difference between life and death."
Twitter: @jm_miller