Micah Smith went out for a hike near the Broads Fork Trail in Big Cottonwood Canyon on Saturday, taking with him his 8-year-old daughter and his two sons, ages 4 and 2, according to the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Later that night, Smith, 31, and his children got caught in a downpour, as Salt Lake County saw in the raining remnants of the Priscilla tropical cyclone.
When the family did not return and were reported missing, the county’s search and rescue team launched a search, according to the sheriff’s office, in conjunction with helicopters from Intermountain Health’s Lifelight and the Utah Department of Public Safety’s Aero Bureau.
All four were found Sunday morning and hospitalized, the sheriff’s office reported. Initially after they were found, the sheriff’s office said Micah was in fair condition, one child was stable and two were in critical condition. As of Tuesday, they said Micah Smith was in stable condition, as were his daughter and younger son.
The 4-year-old boy remained in critical condition Tuesday, according to the sheriff’s office.
A GoFundMe page started by Zach Smith — who identified himself as Micah Smith’s brother — says the child is surviving through the use of a heart-and-lung bypass machine.
On the GoFundMe page, Zach Smith provided further details about what happened after Micah and the children got lost.
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sunset over Broads Fork Twin Peaks.
The storm, according to Zach Smith, blew in as Micah and his kids were at the summit of the Twin Peaks.
There, Zach Smith wrote on GoFundMe, “Micah bravely sacrificed himself to protect his three kids on the mountain in freezing temperature and weather.”
Micah Smith is being treated for third-degree frostbite, he added.
“Micah is a good dad who loves his kids and loves taking them on adventures,” Zach Smith wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Unfortunately tragedy struck this time around. There will be significant needs for Micah’s family financially moving forward.”
The sheriff’s office reminded people that as winter approaches arrives in Utah, people should remember that mountain weather can be volatile, so “plan ahead and be prepared for rapidly changing conditions.”