A Utah father took his three young children out for an adventure, and it almost turned into a tragedy. Micah Smith and his three kids, ages eight, four, and two, went for a hike in Big Cottonwood Canyon this weekend, ultimately trekking all the way to the summit of Twin Peaks. At or near the summit, a downpour of freezing rain caught the family off guard.
Thankfully, search-and-rescue crews were able to locate the missing hikers and rescue them early the next day. Unfortunately, the long, cold night did some damage. Reports suggest the family’s eight year old is now out of the hospital, the two year old is stable, and the four year old remains in critical condition. Smith is also being treated for third-degree frostbite.
[RELATED: Massive Search Underway for Hiker Who’s Been Missing for Weeks]
In a GoFundMe campaign set up for the family by Smith’s brother, it says: “Micah bravely sacrificed himself to protect his 3 kids on the mountain in freezing temperature and weather.”
Donors have raised over $56,000 to help the Smith family with medical costs.
Watch a local news report about the hiking incident here:
Header stock image of Twin Peaks in Utah by pick-uppath/Getty Images