Teen grateful to be alive after 30 hours in Utah mountains

SALT LAKE CITY — A California youngster who survived nearly about 30 hours by myself within the snowy Utah mountains acknowledged Wednesday he kept himself conscious with phone alarms, constructed a snow cave for safe haven and held a diversified beaded bracelet to preserve his hopes up.

Nicolas Stacy-Alcantara, 17, of Frenso, was visiting Utah to explore an ex-female friend and determined to plod for a day-long hike in slightly light weather final week, he acknowledged.

“I like climbing, it form of clears my head,” he acknowledged. The teen took an Uber up a canyon east of Salt Lake City, bringing six peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and 40 ounces of water with him. He deliberate to be out all day and build it reduction in time for dinner.

However tiring that afternoon it started snowing and the temperature dropped, forcing him to prevent, he acknowledged. His mobile phone didn’t fill provider alongside his deliberate route from Millcreek Canyon to Park City.

In the end, alongside with his toes beginning to freeze, he learned a accumulate 22 situation beneath a tree with some protection from the parts and constructed up a miniature snow cave to preserve the wind at bay. He accumulate 22 situation a timer on his phone to plod off every 30 minutes so he wouldn’t plunge asleep, and tapped his hands in opposition to his chest to preserve the blood flowing.

His ex-female friend and her mother had known as police when he didn’t come for dinner, but with darkness falling reduction didn’t straight away come. Because the hours went on, he started to lose hope, he acknowledged.

Then he learned something in his backpack: A beaded bracelet his ex-female friend had given him early in their relationship. It reminded him of everyone who cared about him, he acknowledged.

After the solar came up, he left the protection of the snow cave, alongside alongside with his moist garments and the boots too frozen to tie. In the end, he learned diversified hikers who had a satellite tv for pc phone. He was about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from the establish he had been dropped off, authorities fill acknowledged.

Search and rescue officers acknowledged they learned tracks that indicated he had been transferring through waist-deep snow, and that he was lucky to outlive the evening.

The teen was flown out of the canyon by helicopter to University of Utah Health facility, the establish he has been treated for frostbite on his toes. Whereas he acknowledged he’s nonetheless numb and in pain, he’s no longer anticipated to need any amputation.

Now, he’s having a perceive ahead to being launched from the properly being facility within the approaching days and returning to enact his senior year of highschool. After that, he hopes to see aerospace engineering in college.

“I’m very lucky,” he acknowledged. “I shouldn’t even be alive simply now.”