SALT LAKE CITY – A hiker had to be rescued twice this year from a Wasatch Range peak near Layton, taxing the patience of authorities.
Eric Scott Kuntz, 52, left for a hike Oct. 25 at Fernwood Park and got lost off the same trail as he did in May, Davis County sheriff’s Sgt. Susan Poulsen said Monday.
Kuntz spent a night on the mountain before a medical helicopter brought him to safety Saturday morning. In May, he was escorted down by a ground crew after spending much of a night on the peak.
“He had no intent to cause a problem. He went up a mountain and got lost,” Poulsen said.
Kuntz had food, water and clothing when he was airlifted from the mountain after setting out around 5 p.m. Oct. 25, authorities said.
He complained he was tired and couldn’t make it down the mountain, Davis County Deputy Jammie Embley told The Salt Lake Tribune.
Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings said authorities would be hard-pressed to find a violation or criminal charge to use against the hiker.
Poulsen said the sheriff’s office isn’t planning to bill Kuntz for the helicopter rescue or the time and effort it took to locate him.
A spokeswoman for University of Utah Hospital couldn’t immediately explain how it decides whether or not to bill a distressed hiker. Kuntz required no medical attention.
It isn’t clear which mountain Kuntz was trying to climb or whether he reached a peak, but 9,706-foot Thurston Peak is the most prominent mountain closest to Fernwood Park, about 20 miles north of Salt Lake City. Kuntz was found 1.8 miles up a mountain.
“He’s an adult of sound mind and can take off for a hike,” said Poulsen, explaining why authorities believe no charges are warranted. “His family was just worried about him.”
A message left for Kuntz by The Associated Press at a Layton mobile-home park wasn’t returned Monday.
KSL-TV reported that eight hikers had to be rescued last weekend along the Wasatch Front.
One hiker hurt her knee climbing 11,752-foot Mount Timpanogos near Provo, about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City. A search-and-rescue crew spent Saturday night with the woman until a helicopter could arrive the next day.
Authorities are asking mountain hikers to take basic precautions at this time of the year when weather can change quickly.
