PROVO -- A 23-year-old man hiking alone with his dog on the west face of Mt. Timpanogos fell and injured his ankle at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday, committing himself to a long, cold night on the mountainside.
Seventeen members of the Utah County sheriff's search and rescue team, including the Jeep Patrol and Pleasant Grove Ambulance Association, were dispatched about 9:35 p.m. Saturday and retrieved Oscar Perez, 23, Pleasant Grove, from the mountain at 2:27 a.m. Sunday morning.The rescuers attended his injuries, which included an ankle fracture and hypothermia. He was treated at American Fork Hospital and then released.
According to Utah County Sheriff Sgt. Tom Hodgson, Perez had gone hiking to spot Bighorn sheep in the canyon.
After he fell, he intermittently yelled for help, ultimately reaching the ears of people in Pleasant Grove.
Perez was not dressed for cool weather but nevertheless spent the night in rain and snow.
The man's dog initially tried to keep rescue team members from assisting him, Hodgson said.