79-year-old hiker missing for days found at Zion National Park
A hiker missing for days at Zion National Park was found alive Saturday afternoon with the help of Nellis Air Force Base personnel.
The National Park Service said Friday that they were searching for John Fiske Burg, 79. He was last seen at 7 a.m. Tuesday leaving a La Quinta hotel in Kanab, Utah, where he was staying with a group of 50 hikers. He had told his friends he was considering hiking the Canyon Overlook trail at Zion. His car was later found at the trailhead, but it was unknown when he’d arrived there or where he was.
On Saturday at 2:30 p.m., personnel from Nellis “located John Fiske Burg above Lodge Canyon,” the park service said in a release.
“Burg was treated on scene and then transported to St. George for further medical attention,” the NPS said.
On Friday afternoon, Burg was able to make a 911 phone call to Washington County, and he also left a voicemail message with his family, the park service said.
“These phone calls provided the (search and rescue) operations the insight needed to increase operations and target specific areas of Zion National Park,” the park service said. “The 911 call he made was critical and saved his life.”
Rangers at Zion National Park expressed thanks to personnel from Nellis Air Force Base, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Search and Rescue K-9 Units and Drone Teams, and staff and volunteers who participated in the search. Further details on Nellis’s involvement in the search were not immediately available. Burg’s place of residence hasn’t been released.
Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.
