Rescuers find missing Springville snowmobiler

PROVO — Search and rescue teams located a Springville man late Sunday night after he was separated from his snowmobiling group up Spanish Fork Canyon.

The 48-year-old man was snowmobiling Sunday afternoon with his wife and a friend near Brown Peaks, according to Search and Rescue Director Tom Hodgson. The group was returning to their vehicle at Tucker stop when the man fell behind.

His wife and friend, who were unfamiliar with the area, took a wrong turn and ended up by Scofield, Hodgson said. When the man arrived at Tucker rest stop and saw they weren't there, he went to find them and ran out of gas.

Meanwhile, the wife and friend found a passer-by who took them to their vehicles. When they saw the man wasn't there, they contacted search and rescue, Hodgson said.

After the man ran out of gas, he trudged three miles through the snow until rescue teams found him around 10:30 p.m., Hodgson said.

"He was cold and fatigued, a bit dehydrated, but he was fine," Hodgson said.

The group made their first mistake when they separated, Hodgson said. Secondly, the man didn't have any provisions with him when he went looking for his wife and friend.

On the plus side, Hodgson said, the wife and friend contacted rescue teams immediately, instead of looking for him on their own.

"We'd rather deal with one missing person than two or three," he said.

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