Presbyterian minister Mike Turner, 48, died after becoming trapped between boulders during a solo hiking expedition in Wyoming. His body was found nearly a month later, with a journal detailing his final days and a message to his wife.
Fatal detour to protect his dog
Turner had set off on a spiritual pilgrimage with his black Labrador, Andy, hoping to reconnect with God. On the fourth day, Andy's paws were raw from walking on jagged ice at about 13,000 feet, and he was whimpering and struggling to keep up.
Turner decided to take an alternative path around the mountain instead of crossing over it. Shortly after leaving his intended trail, he stopped to give Andy water, but the dog bolted towards nearby trees. Following him, Turner discovered a large lake encircled by boulders.
Trapped for four days
As Andy drank from the lake, Turner crossed the rocks to reach him. One boulder shifted beneath him, and as he tried to regain his balance, he fell between two rocks. The unstable boulder rolled over completely, trapping him without causing injury.
After two hours of trying to free himself, Turner realised he could not escape. He had provisions and water, and began keeping a diary. His entries shifted from optimism to grim humour. He wrote: "I am concerned about first losing my legs, second running out of snow to melt for water, and fuel, third hypothermia. My biggest concern is water. I have only 2 quarts left. The irony is that the lake is only 30 feet away...I am drinking 1 quart today, saving a quart for tomorrow. I am also saving my urine. I wonder how it will taste with Crystal Light?"
Temperatures reached 37°C during the day but dropped to near freezing at night. Turner initially believed God was testing him, then thought he was being punished, before accepting he would die. Andy stayed on a ledge above him throughout.
Search and discovery
On 5 August, after four days trapped, Turner wrote: "I feel so foolish taking this longer pass. So lonely, more than I imagined. Who would have guessed that four days would have gone by and no one has come this way?"
His wife raised the alarm when he failed to meet her at the trail's end. A search was launched, but rescuers scoured the wrong area because nobody knew of Turner's route change. The search was suspended after a week.
On 28 August, two walkers found a scruffy black Labrador miles from the original search zone. After a veterinary examination, a new search began in the correct location. By then, another walker, Jeff Stewart, had already found Turner's body near an unnamed lake.
Stewart told Backpacker magazine: "I had seen the posters at the trailhead and knew they were looking for someone. So I called out, 'Hey, are you all right?' There was no answer. I knew there wouldn't be."
Turner's final message to his wife read: "Thank you for letting me live this adventure. Know wherever I am and whatever I'm doing, I am thinking of you." He died from exposure, hypothermia and dehydration roughly nine days after the accident. His journal was found in a plastic bag, and his wedding ring was placed on a nearby rock.
