Woman dies after falling off cliff while hiking in Sevier County
SEVIER COUNTY, Utah — A woman fell to her death Sunday afternoon while hiking in central Utah.
According to the Sevier County Sheriff's Office, 26-year-old Candice Thompson was hiking with her husband around 1 p.m. in an area known as "Bulls Head," located west of Richfield, when she fell off a cliff. She fell an estimated 75-100 feet.
First responders attempted lifesaving measures before she was taken to Sevier Valley Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
"While the investigation is ongoing, evidence at the scene indicates the fall was an accident and foul play is not suspected," the sheriff's office wrote in a press release.
Chief Trent Lloyd with Richfield City Police wrote in a Facebook post Monday evening that Thompson was a member of the "department family" her whole life. Her dad was an officer, and now her husband is as well.
The last couple of days have been heartbreaking for our department family," the post read in part. "To say that there is a hole in our hearts today is just simply understated because there is just no words."
Jason @BeardedOverland www.beardedadv.blogspot.com
A Nevada woman who went missing last week in Lake Mead is the same woman who was rescued just a month earlier after being reported missing in Northern Nevada, a Lake Mead spokesperson confirmed Thursday.
Gayle Stewart, 64, was last seen on March 14 in the Bypass Bridge parking area near Hoover Dam, according to a March 17 news release. She had been in the area to take photos, officials said, but did not return to her vehicle.
On Feb. 14, Stewart was reported missing in Reno after leaving her house and not returning. She was later rescued after she was found on a "steep slope," the Reno Fire Department said at the time.
Lake Mead officials said she did not have her phone or identification with her when she went missing. There were no updates as of Thursday, a spokesperson said.
Grizzly bear suspected in man's death near Yellowstone national park
Craig Clouatre, 40, had been missing since Wednesday after leaving for a hiking trip
A Montana man who went missing while hiking earlier this week was killed in a suspected encounter with a grizzly bear north of Yellowstone national park, authorities said Friday.
The victim was identified as Craig Clouatre, 40, of Livingston. No details were provided on where he was found or why a grizzly bear was believed responsible for his death.
Search teams on the ground and in helicopters had been looking for Clouatre after he went hiking on Wednesday morning with a friend, possibly to hunt for antlers, and was reported overdue that day, according to the sheriff. The search began that night concentrated on the Six Mile Creek area of the Absaroka Mountains, located about 30 miles (48km) south of Livingston, Montana.
"They split up at some point later in the morning," Park County Sheriff Brad Bichler told the Livingston Enterprise. "When the other man returned to their vehicle and his friend wasn't there, he called us and we began searching."
Authorities were working Friday to return Clouatre's body to his family, Bichler said in a social media post.
Clouatre's father told the Associated Press that the victim grew up in Massachusetts and moved more than two decades ago to Montana, where Clouatre met his future wife, Jamie, and decided to make a home.
"He was a joy to have as a son all the way around," David Clouatre said. "He was a good man, a good, hardworking family man."
The mountains in the area where Craig Clouatre died rise steeply above the Yellowstone River as it passes through the Paradise Valley. Dense forests at higher elevations are home to bears and other wildlife, although dangerous encounters with people are relatively rare.
Clouatre frequented those mountains and others around the park, hiking in summer and ice climbing in winter when he wasn't home with his wife and their four young children, said Anne Tanner, a friend of the victim.
"It just makes me angry that something like this could happen to such a good person," said Tanner. "Of all the men I know, I can't believe he would die in the wilderness. He was so strong and he was so smart."
Since 2010, grizzlies in the Yellowstone region have killed at least eight people.
Among them was a backcountry guide killed by a bear last year along Yellowstone's western border. Guide Charles "Carl" Mock was killed in April after being mauled by a 400-plus pound (181-plus kilogram) male grizzly while fishing alone at a favorite spot on Montana's Madison River, where it spills out of the park.
Grizzlies are protected under federal law outside Alaska. Elected officials in the Yellowstone region are pushing to lift protections and allow grizzly hunting.
The Yellowstone region spanning portions of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming has more than 700 bears. Fatal attacks on humans are rare but have increased in recent decades as the grizzly population grew and more people moved into rural areas near bear habitat.
Jason @BeardedOverland www.beardedadv.blogspot.com
Thomas Howard. Photo courtesy of New York State Police
By Gwendolyn Craig
A 63-year-old Connecticut hiker, who went missing in the Adirondack Park High Peaks, was found deceased Friday morning, state police and Department of Environmental Conservation officials said.
Thomas Howard, a Yale-educated economist from Westport, Conn., was reported missing on March 16 after he had left for a hiking trip on March 11 in the Town of North Elba, according to a news release.
Officials located his car on Wednesday at the Adirondack Mountain Club's Adirondack Loj parking lot. Howard had signed in at the trail register stating his destination was Mount Colden via the Trap Dike. He anticipated returning on Sunday, March 13.
The Trap Dike has been the site of many emergency responses. Christopher Kostoss, Region 5 forest ranger captain, told the Adirondack Explorer in August that there is debate on whether the Trap Dike route is a hike or a rock climb. It is considered a Class 4 climb in the guidebook Adirondack Rock. Rescues there require technical equipment and expertise on the 4,715-foot High Peak.
"Either way, a fall or accident in the Trap Dike could mean a long duration rescue event and, worst case, could prove to be fatal," Kostoss said.
An aerial photo of the Trap Dike on Mount Colden. Photo by Carl Heilman II
New York State Police Aviation and DEC forest rangers used several means to search for Howard on Wednesday including air, sled and foot operations. Also assisting were DEC's Emergency Management Unit, New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services and trained rescue climbers, according to a news release.
Niece Jessica Paar described her uncle as an avid outdoorsman, particularly enjoying hiking and camping. Married with two daughters, he received a doctorate from Yale University and also graduated from Dartmouth College where he studied applied mathematics. His LinkedIn resume listed his experience in macro, energy and finance economics and skills in forecasting, econometrics and data analysis.
Paar said the Adirondack search and rescue efforts by the rangers and the response from the local community, from coffee shop operators to lodging owners, was much appreciated.
"The Howard family wishes to express their gratitude to the community and the searchers for their support," the news release said. "The family asks for privacy as they grieve the loss of their loved one."
The DEC and State Police did not provide more details on how Howard died or if he was found in the area of the Trap Dike.
Editors note: A previous version of this story included a State Police bulletin with Howard's age as 61. He was 63.
James M. Odato contributed to this report.
Jason @BeardedOverland www.beardedadv.blogspot.com
