Utah hunter trapped in blizzard overnight hospitalized

Authorities say a Utah hunter has been hospitalized after a blizzard trapped him overnight in a remote mountain area and he dug himself into the snow to survive.

Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office said 38-year-old Trevor Valentine got stuck Wednesday afternoon while on a hunting trip far from the Utah-Idaho border. Deputy Dale Ward said Valentine’s wife called police Wednesday night when her husband hadn’t turned up, but blizzard conditions and drifting snow kept search and rescue crews from making their way across the mountain.

The Deseret News reports winds calmed Thursday morning and rescuers on snowmobiles found Valentine, who had attempted to dig himself into the snow to shield himself from the elements and a temperature below zero with wind chill.

Ward says Valentine is in a Salt Lake City-area hospital in “very serious condition. “

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Information from: Deseret News, http://www.deseretnews.com