A hiker from Sedona was discovered dead in a national park in Utah after a thunderstorm caused flash flooding.
According to the National Park Service, Jeanne Roblez Howell, 64, left at 2 p.m. on Friday to climb the Fairyland Loop Trail at Bryce Canyon National Park but did not return by 7 p.m.
Park official launched a search operation with the Garfield County Sheriff's Office and the Utah Department of Public Safety when Howell was reported missing,
The search was cancelled at 1.30am on Saturday when Howell's body was located in Campbell Canyon, one mile east of the eight-mile Fairyland Loop.
She was pronounced dead at the spot, but no cause of death was given.
A thunderstorm dumped significant rain over the northern edge of Bryce Canyon National Park at the afternoon of August 25.
Along the 8-mile Fairyland Loop trail, flash flooding was recorded in dry washes.
"This is a tragic event, and our deepest sympathy goes out to the victim's friends and family," said Allana Olbrich, acting Bryce Canyon superintendent.
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Adventurous spirit
Benjamin, son of Howell, will always remember her mom as an avid hiker with an adventurous spirit and contagious positivity.
"My wife and I always joke that my mom doesn't have frown lines. She has happy lines because she's smiling so much," he said in an interview.
He further narrates that three days before Howell left for the hike, she wrote in her planner "Adventure Weekend" in Bryce Canyon.
Every year, Howell set a goal of hiking as many miles as the year's number. In 2022, for example, she hiked over 2,022 miles. Every year, she'd make it with months to spare.
Plan your trip
The authorities have advised hikers to research the planned route thoroughly when hiking in a national park to avoid similar incident.
Grand County Sheriff's Search and Rescue also said to always check local weather forecasts on the day of the trip and to know the specific type of terrain the hiker will encounter.
"Thunderstorms build quickly and can flood canyons from many miles away," it said.
On Thursday, a 38-year-old lady was killed in a flash flood in Grand County's Mary Jane Canyon.
She was "covered in mud from head to toe" when rescuers discovered her.
She lost her shoes in the water, according to officials, but one of the rescue crew members handed her his shoes to wear on the journey back.
The Bryce Canyon National Park is located in south central Utah on the eastern border of the Paunsaugunt Plateau.
Bryce Canyon National Monument (managed by the United States Forest Service) was designated on June 8, 1923 to protect the "unusual scenic beauty, scientific interest, and importance."
Bryce Canyon is recognized for its distinctive geology, which consists of a series of horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters carved.
Frost-wedging erosion and rainfall dissolving power have molded the Claron Formation's colorful calcium-rich mudstone into unusual formations such as slot canyons, windows, fins, and spires known as "hoodoos."
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