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UTAH COUNTY, Utah, Oct. 7, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — The search is continuing for a man who went missing after setting out to hike the back slopes of Mount Timpanogos three weeks ago.
Jake Routt, 36, was last seen Sept. 15 and last heard from the next day, according to a Facebook page set up by friends and family to assist in the search for him.
Routt’s sister posted on Facebook that he sent her and others “an uncharacteristic text that worries us,” though she did not give further details.
The family said on the Facebook page Routt is a very experienced hiker, and would often go hiking in the back county, so at first they did not worry. But as more time passed, they called the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, which is assisting in the search. The Orem Police Department and the Department of Public Safety are also helping to search.
Authorities found Routt’s car at the Aspen Grove Trailhead parking lot at Mount Timpanogos and during an air search with a Department of Public Safety helicopter, a backpack thought to belong to the missing hiker was found near Aspen Grove. Drones have also been used in the search.
Another search was carried out Saturday, with the searchers meeting at the Aspen Grove parking lot near Sundance. A group went out out at 9 a.m. and another at noon.
Friends and family say they will keep looking for Routt for as long as weather permits.
