Every year, thousands of visitors enjoy the scenic beauty of the Mount Timpanogos Wilderness Area. And every year, many of those visitors are carried down the mountain by medical personnel.
A small snow field off the Aspen Grove Trail on the north side of Mount Timpanogos has been a cause of many of accidents, said Loyal Clark, spokeswoman for the Uinta National Forest. Clark said each year the Forest Service treats a number of injuries people sustain while sliding down the snow field."We used to have two or three deaths a year up there," Clark said. "But since we have beefed up the patrols in the area, we haven't had a death."
One danger is the large boulders at its base. Beyond the boulders is a 75-foot drop-off.
This year, two or three people have gone over the cliffs up there, Clark said. "If you don't stop in time, you'll go right off."
Another danger is the unstable snow bridges, caused by small streams running beneath the snow field. Hikers should be aware of these dangers and stay off the snow field, according to Bob Easton, district ranger for the Pleasant Grove Ranger District of the Uinta National Forest.
"The snow fields look like something fun to slide down," he said. "But in reality they are very dangerous."
Easton stresses that despite the potential dangers in wilderness areas, people shouldn't stay away, they should just be more cautious.
"Summer in the mountains is a beautiful and exciting time," said Bob Easton. "However, this time of the year can still be a very dangerous one. Caution should be used by everyone, no matter how experienced they are."