Dog dies after hiking with dehydrated hiker on Grandeur Peak

MILLCREEK, Utah — A dehydrated hiker summited Grandeur Peak with their dog on Tuesday, where it eventually died, according to Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue.

A search and rescue call was made for a dehydrated hiker who had lost their Labrador on the mountain, at approximately 2:15 p.m.

The hiker and dog summited the peak, but about 20 minutes after they began their descent, “the dog was resisting,” according to a press release. The hiker and dog went about 50 feet off the trail in search of shade.

“The hiker said the dog died while with them at this location, so the hiker hiked back down to the trailhead while the dog was still on the mountain,” an updated press release stated.

“The hiker had no water at this time, and it’s unknown how much, if any water, was taken on the hike,” the release stated. “The hiker hiked back down to the trailhead while the dog was still on the mountain.”

Search and rescue crews looked in an area high on the trail, based on the initial description, but did not find the dog.

Crews were able to use GPS coordinates from a tagged photo the hiker took to search a wider area of the initial spot. Crews did find the dog and it was carried down the mountain.

“Our sincere condolences to the hiker and family,” the release stated.

Grandeur Peak is a 4.4-mile out-and-back hike in Salt Lake County. The hike typically takes about 4 hours and 45 minutes to complete. The search lasted six hours.

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CORRECTION: A previous version of this story stated the hiker abandoned their dog on the mountain and the dog was found dead by search and rescue. An updated press release from Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue corrected that information.