SPRINGDALE, Utah (WFLA) — A hiker was found dead Wednesday morning at Zion National Park after park rangers found her husband while he was looking for help.
The National Park Service said a married couple was on a 16-mile, overnight hiking trip in the Narrows Tuesday night.
According to the NPS, the hiking trip was permitted. Both the man and woman were described as being in their early 30s.
The man said the weather got dangerously cold while he and his wife were on their journey, causing them to experience symptoms consistent with hypothermia.
The couple stopped around a mile and a half from the north end of the park’s Riverside Walk, but early Wednesday morning, the man decided to go get help while his wife remained.
Other visitors noticed the man and his wife and reported the situation to Zion National Park’s shuttle drivers, who informed the search-and-rescue team.
Over 20 rescue personnel were deployed to find the couple.
Some park rangers found the man on Riverside Walk as he was being helped by other park visitors. He was then taken to the emergency operations center.
Other personnel found the man’s wife near the Virgin River and tried to give her first aid, but she was already dead. According to the National Park Service, other visitors were already giving her CPR before the Zion Search and Rescue Team found them.
Officials said the cause of the woman’s death is still pending an investigation.
According to the National Weather Service, temperatures in nearby Kanab reached an observed low of 22 degrees Fahrenheit, 10 degrees below the freezing point.