Search and rescue crew concerned deadly Utah trail could claim more lives

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Andrew Acuff, 26, was killed while hiking between Big Cottonwood and Little Cottonwood canyons this weekend.

Search and rescue crews had to access the area by helicopter. Members of the rescue crew say the route he was on has been becoming more and more popular. But it’s incredibly difficult.

Todd Taylor, part of the Salt Lake County Search and Rescue crew that made the recovery this weekend say it happened in the Wasatch Ultimate Ridge Linkup, or the WURL. It runs between Big and Little Cottonwood canyons, and rescuers said it can take more than a day to traverse the whole thing.

“(It's) a popular route this year and getting more popular every year. The top of the ridgeline is very narrow, and steep on both sides in many places. And that’s where the accident happened," Taylor said.

He says social media and more people turning to the Wasatch front for recreation could be playing a part in more people trying to tackle the WURL.

“It’s certainly increasing. Just the numbers of people that are doing the WURL. And part of it is they’re trying to go fast. It’s a long route, and they want to do it as quick as possible. So that’s part of it," Taylor said.

Micheal Finger was also part of the search and rescue team that made the recovery this weekend and for 14 years.

“It seems like since I’ve been on the team, this has been getting more and more popular” Finger said.

In fact, he’s had other recent rescues there.

“Couple of Saturdays ago we had an individual in Lone Peak that was finishing the WURL and they got sick at 2:00 in the morning and called 911 for help," he said.

Last October, Finger said they had two WURL rescues in one day. And last year, they saw an accident in nearly the same area as the fatal one Sunday.

“In that general area, last year we had an individual that basically had the same thing happen to him, and they survived” Finger said. “They were lucky. They had a partner that was able to get down to them and help them out and call 911."

He said this trail tends to be popular in the fall, so more calls could be coming.

“It’s a little cooler, the days are still fairly long, and the snow is gone. It does seem to get more popular towards the fall. It wouldn’t surprise me if we have a few more."