Found Deceased UT - McKenna Miner, 19, went hiking, car found parked near Tibble Fork Reservoir, American Fork Canyon, 28 Jan 2024

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Utah County Sheriff Search and Rescue, Mounted Posse, and airplane are looking for McKenna Miner in the area above Tibble Fork Reservoir in American Fork Canyon. She was last heard from on 1/28/24 and her car was found at Tibble Fork. McKenna is 19 years old and is from Provo.

https://www.facebook.com/UtahCountySheriffsOffice/posts/pfbid02zCSkE8MhciUexfLjaR6amQkyaKT1NmXfTnyzgLzatY3FU2Z91Udzkxi88i9uvaNgl

According to Sgt. Spencer Cannon with the Utah County Sheriff's Office, Miner often did outdoor activities.

He said she and her family last spoke at approximately 3 p.m. on Sunday, and they did not have any reason to be concerned. She was officially reported missing Tuesday morning.

kutv.com

Identity released of missing woman believed to be hiking in American Fork Canyon

Rescue crews in Utah County are searching for a 19-year-old woman who went missing over the weekend.
kutv.com kutv.com
 
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I hope she's got some warm clothes with her in addition to food and water. I just checked the weather for the reservoir for the last couple of days and it looks like the temperature has been dropping down to about 33F/0C overnight. :(
 
Terrible.

It's winter, and in the Utah mountains. Spikes and poles if she's in the area where the base station is located. There will definitely be spots where the snow is deep, and icy places. Spare set of clothes, stove, jello powder, sleeping bag/bivy, and winter 10 Essentials. Recco and Garmin inReach. Extra phone battery. Phone kept next to body. Exhausting if you have to break trail in deep snow. Potential for falling into a tree well. Snowfields to get lost in. Frozen brook to fall into and freeze to death. Getting dumped on by a tree. Mushy snow early in the hike, which freezes around your boot later in the hike: you lose your boot. Early darkness. Avalanche risk.

I'm kinda freaked out imagining what could go wrong. I think maybe the highest likelihood is coming across a snowfield, and not wanting to turn around, because you think you're almost back to your car. Especially since her family heard from her at 3 pm, though it's possible she didn't start on the hike until afternoon.

If it were me, I'd not go on a trip like this one, except in an experienced group, and they'd better be very experienced, like Sierra Club types or the local 100-year-old climbing club. But it's also probably very beautiful back in that reservoir area.

***Pro safety tip. This is my repeat plea to learn outdoor skills in a long-time established group, with folks who've "done it all", so you're not relying on the echo chamber in your head or like-minded (not to mention, youthful and therefore definitely inexperienced) friends to evaluate risk.

Consider the experienced actor about this time last year who had an accident in the backcountry while not wearing crampons as the sheriff had warned, and also headed in the wrong direction, I suppose from disorientation in the snow). At any rate, even extensive experience can account for very little. But a group with very experienced members adds hugely to safety. There are surely several clubs in the Provo area going out on trips on a Sunday year round. Even then, the risk is not minimal, on any backcountry trip, any season.

So, I'm begging!***

Perhaps there's a backcountry shelter near Tibble Fork Reservoir because the area is busy in summer? A restroom? That would be a stroke of luck.

Mostly, I just think this is a scary situation. I hope they find her, but I worry when I see stories like this.
 
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Glad of the searching, of course. Rough terrain, essentially all around the area. By herself. Assuming no one has seen her -- or at least that's how is seems. Where do you go to search a big, big area out there? I'm sure rescue crews know the area, but it is huge-looking to me -- I've never been there.
Prayers for her, those who love her, and those who are searching.
 
borndem said:
Glad of the searching, of course. Rough terrain, essentially all around the area. By herself. Assuming no one has seen her -- or at least that's how is seems. Where do you go to search a big, big area out there? I'm sure rescue crews know the area, but it is huge-looking to me -- I've never been there.
Prayers for her, those who love her, and those who are searching.
Click to expand...
On the positive, SAR might have her footprints, since there's snow on the ground.
 
RickshawFan said:
Terrible.

It's winter, and in the Utah mountains. Spikes and poles if she's in the area where the base station is located. There will definitely be spots where the snow is deep, and icy places. Spare set of clothes, stove, jello powder, sleeping bag/bivy, and winter 10 Essentials. Recco and Garmin inReach. Extra phone battery. Phone kept next to body. Exhausting if you have to break trail in deep snow. Potential for falling into a tree well. Snowfields to get lost in. Frozen brook to fall into and freeze to death. Getting dumped on by a tree. Mushy snow early in the hike, which freezes around your boot later in the hike: you lose your boot. Early darkness. Avalanche risk.

I'm kinda freaked out imagining what could go wrong. I think maybe the highest likelihood is coming across a snowfield, and not wanting to turn around, because you think you're almost back to your car. Especially since her family heard from her at 3 pm, though it's possible she didn't start on the hike until afternoon.

If it were me, I'd not go on a trip like this one, except in an experienced group, and they'd better be very experienced, like Sierra Club types or the local 100-year-old climbing club. But it's also probably very beautiful back in that reservoir area.

***Pro safety tip. This is my repeat plea to learn outdoor skills in a long-time established group, with folks who've "done it all", so you're not relying on the echo chamber in your head or like-minded (not to mention, youthful and therefore definitely inexperienced) friends to evaluate risk.

Consider the experienced actor about this time last year who had an accident in the backcountry while not wearing crampons as the sheriff had warned, and also headed in the wrong direction, I suppose from disorientation in the snow). At any rate, even extensive experience can account for very little. But a group with very experienced members adds hugely to safety. There are surely several clubs in the Provo area going out on trips on a Sunday year round. Even then, the risk is not minimal, on any backcountry trip, any season.

So, I'm begging!***

Perhaps there's a backcountry shelter near Tibble Fork Reservoir because the area is busy in summer? A restroom? That would be a stroke of luck.

Mostly, I just think this is a scary situation. I hope they find her, but I worry when I see stories like this.
Click to expand...

Thanks much, @RickshawFan, for the info -- I've never been in Utah to see the beauty that is there, but I do know that in that beauty, there is danger.
It does appear that LE and others who know this area are doing all they can. A huge and scary task.
Hoping that she is found soon, soon, soon.
 
borndem said:
Thanks much, @RickshawFan, for the info -- I've never been in Utah to see the beauty that is there, but I do know that in that beauty, there is danger.
It does appear that LE and others who know this area are doing all they can. A huge and scary task.
Hoping that she is found soon, soon, soon.
Click to expand...
Yes, SAR will be excellent in that area, and the terrain looks to not be that challenging. SAR won't wear out super fast, if that's the case. It's also not 20 below. That's a help.
I'll bet she was doing a loop hike. But this creates a problem if you run into an obstacle like a snowfield when you're already tired out. Then the temptation is not to turn back, though it's the safest thing to do.
If she called family at 3 pm, they must have a ping?

I'm surprised they aren't bringing in Recco on a helicopter from a nearby ski area. She may not have anything with a Recco tag, but, heck, in Utah, I'd be attaching one to my pack or something. It's newer to think about Recco for hikers (it was developed for avalanches), but helicopters can now scan vast areas quickly and get pinged off that tag. Utah is exactly the kind of place where they'd have that capability.

This is what a Recco tag looks like, but actually, they're built into many ski garments.

Screenshot 2024-01-30 at 11.27.59 PM.png

 
RickshawFan said:
Terrible.

It's winter, and in the Utah mountains. Spikes and poles if she's in the area where the base station is located. There will definitely be spots where the snow is deep, and icy places. Spare set of clothes, stove, jello powder, sleeping bag/bivy, and winter 10 Essentials. Recco and Garmin inReach. Extra phone battery. Phone kept next to body. Exhausting if you have to break trail in deep snow. Potential for falling into a tree well. Snowfields to get lost in. Frozen brook to fall into and freeze to death. Getting dumped on by a tree. Mushy snow early in the hike, which freezes around your boot later in the hike: you lose your boot. Early darkness. Avalanche risk.

I'm kinda freaked out imagining what could go wrong. I think maybe the highest likelihood is coming across a snowfield, and not wanting to turn around, because you think you're almost back to your car. Especially since her family heard from her at 3 pm, though it's possible she didn't start on the hike until afternoon.

If it were me, I'd not go on a trip like this one, except in an experienced group, and they'd better be very experienced, like Sierra Club types or the local 100-year-old climbing club. But it's also probably very beautiful back in that reservoir area.

***Pro safety tip. This is my repeat plea to learn outdoor skills in a long-time established group, with folks who've "done it all", so you're not relying on the echo chamber in your head or like-minded (not to mention, youthful and therefore definitely inexperienced) friends to evaluate risk.

Consider the experienced actor about this time last year who had an accident in the backcountry while not wearing crampons as the sheriff had warned, and also headed in the wrong direction, I suppose from disorientation in the snow). At any rate, even extensive experience can account for very little. But a group with very experienced members adds hugely to safety. There are surely several clubs in the Provo area going out on trips on a Sunday year round. Even then, the risk is not minimal, on any backcountry trip, any season.

So, I'm begging!***

Perhaps there's a backcountry shelter near Tibble Fork Reservoir because the area is busy in summer? A restroom? That would be a stroke of luck.

Mostly, I just think this is a scary situation. I hope they find her, but I worry when I see stories like this.
Click to expand...
You're obviously an expert on this, and I 100% agree I'm not doing this hike, especially this time of year, without the most experienced group with me. But I also remember being a 15-20 year old Colorado native that knew trails like the back of my hand, and even though the dangers are drilled in for years, you think, "I can just do this quick out and back route I know." But sometimes it looks much different in various snow conditions and is easy to get disoriented. I could see this situation here.
 
“If you’re alone and something happens, you get injured or stuck someplace, and nobody knows exactly where you are, then that can be a real challenge in finding them

www.google.com

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
www.google.com www.google.com
kslnewsradio.com

Police find body believed to be of missing 19-year-old

The Utah County Sherriff's Office said they believe they found the body of 19-year-old McKenna Miner, who was reported missing on Tuesday.
kslnewsradio.com kslnewsradio.com
 
sunflowermomma said:
What gear did she have and what trail was she on?

Have the weather conditions changed greatly in the last month? Most recent reviews say snowshoes or spikes were necessary and that you had to park in a different parking lot which extended the route.
Click to expand...
Judging from the views of the parking lot with the SAR vehicles, definitely spikes. Before I saw that photo, I thought definitely snowshoes, but there doesn’t seem to be as much snow on the ground as I anticipated.

However, there are likely places where snow completely covers the trail (e.g. a snowfield), and you can easily lose where the trail picks up on the other side of the snowfield. The only safe solution is to turn back the way you came. On a loop hike, it’s hard to bring yourself to do that, because you might be almost back to your car. This is exactly why you need a group: to help with decisions that you might otherwise not want to make.
 
WildcatRunner said:
You're obviously an expert on this, and I 100% agree I'm not doing this hike, especially this time of year, without the most experienced group with me. But I also remember being a 15-20 year old Colorado native that knew trails like the back of my hand, and even though the dangers are drilled in for years, you think, "I can just do this quick out and back route I know." But sometimes it looks much different in various snow conditions and is easy to get disoriented. I could see this situation here.
Click to expand...
Yes, exactly this.

IMO it’s important to be around old-timers who tell stories of other situations, because you can learn what worked and what didn’t, in addition to thinking about scenarios you haven’t thought of, as a matter of years or experience.
My comments on snowfields ^^^ are in that vein. I was with a group on a 9-mile rigorous loop hike in the Cascades. It was mid to late summer. No snow in sight. Maybe 12 of us. At least half were very experienced: hundreds of hikes, including with the local mountaineering club. At mile 8, we suddenly came to a large snowfield. We couldn’t see where the trail picked up. No one who had been on the trail before could remember exactly the lay of the land. The leader and 2-3 of the old-timers made the decision to turn around. Yes, all 8 miles. There were minor grumbles, but zero pushback, because it was obviously the safest course. And we hustled! It would have been 2-3 hours back the way we came, in low light. Then we went for beer, and there were 12 now-experienced folk telling the legend of the “death march”. Anyone who heard that story would now keep it in mind if they came to a snowfield, otherwise lost the trail, or encountered any kind of serious obstacle to continuing. The general inclination is to press forward, not to turn around, but if you hang out with these old timers (like me!), even if you haven’t encountered this situation yourself, you will have it buried in your brain somewhere that you can always turn around. This might be life-death info.

FWIW at the time of the legendary “death march”, I had been on hundreds of hikes, including at least 100 with this club. I was definitely in the “experienced” category. Nonetheless, I would have been slow to come to the idea of turning around, and/or I could have wasted precious time skirting the snowfield looking for the trail. By then, it would have been dark, with a hella new range of dangerous situations.

I look at where those SAR vehicles are parked, and I know there will be snowfields on pretty much any trail. Indeed, that might be one of the first places SAR investigates. They’d have footprints looking for a trail, and then maybe heading randomly into the woods. They might even follow an animal trail.
 
LadyL said:
it's been 3 days?
there's still time right? if she's warm enough and has water?
Click to expand...
Low likelihood. 72 hours generally maxes out the SAR algorithm. With the kit I listed above (winter 10 essentials plus add-ons), you might make it, but….. If you were missing something basic in your pack like a headlamp, you wouldn’t be able to hike out in darkness, and if you’re stuck in there unprepared for a whole night, in those temps…

Pro tip: last year at this time, I bought a couple of new Petzl headlamps, the lowest cost ones. They go on sale every year when the model upgrades. They were $14. I keep one in the car, and always one in my pack. Spare batteries in the first aid kit. For humans, the ability to see at night can be life and death, psychologically and practically.
 
Last edited:
imstilla.grandma said:
“If you’re alone and something happens, you get injured or stuck someplace, and nobody knows exactly where you are, then that can be a real challenge in finding them

www.google.com

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
www.google.com www.google.com
kslnewsradio.com

Police find body believed to be of missing 19-year-old

The Utah County Sherriff's Office said they believe they found the body of 19-year-old McKenna Miner, who was reported missing on Tuesday.
kslnewsradio.com kslnewsradio.com
Click to expand...
That’s exactly correct. What helps is that SAR has “lost person” algorithms from thousands of cases. Each situation has a different algorithm, e.g. lost child in town, lost toddler in the woods, lost Alzheimers, lost hiker. Plus SAR experience of human nature and local terrain contributes. They have a precise algorithm for the search, and the search is managed by a key person. Every team has an exact job.

FWIW community volunteers are not welcome in SAR search areas until LE gives the go ahead. It’s like a crime scene: there are clues and protocols.
 
A body has been found during the search for McKenna :( .

The individual has not been positively identified yet, but Sgt. Dallon Turner with the Utah County Sheriff's Search and Rescue did confirm the deceased individual was a female.

"If you're struggling with suicide ... there's always hope," Turner said through tears. "There are resources out there that can help you."

kutv.com

Body discovered during search for missing 19-year-old hiker

Authorities on Wednesday announced they discovered a deceased individual during the search for missing hiker McKenna Miner
kutv.com kutv.com

This is so sad... It appears that this was self-harm.
 
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