A casual walk on Y Mountain turned into a 15-hour-long ordeal for a BYU student on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2006.

John Spelta, a freshman from Sandy, started walking the trail leading to the Y around 11 a.m. He spent all day on the mountain and early that evening realized he had veered off course, at which point he called 911 from his cell phone.

“That cell phone might have saved his life,” said Capt. Rick Healey of the Provo Police Department. “He might not have survived the night.”

Mountain rescue, Provo Fire Department and Life Flight personnel were already dispatched to Rock Canyon in response to a call regarding the discovery of a body and quickly made their way to Y Mountain. A Life Flight helicopter using night vision circled the area and located Spelta just north and a little to the side of the Y. Rescuers on ATVs brought him warm clothes and escorted him down the mountain to a hospital for examination early Thursday morning, Feb. 23, 2006.

Spelta began the hike looking for clarity, he said. Suffering from academic and personal stresses, Spelta said he felt compelled to find answers on his hike. He was not dressed to cope with the cold and said he did not take any food for his day-long journey.

“I feel now that it was pretty ironic that Y Mountain should hold the answers to my questions,” he said.

Spelta said that in the end he did find clarity.

“At many points I felt like giving up,” he said. “Three things kept me going: God … my friends and family, and the fact that I was so hungry.”

He said he kept thinking “I have to get back and get Subway.”

Spelta said he felt a higher power saved him from freezing to death. The battery on his cell phone died right after he spoke with rescue personnel and had they found him any later he probably would have fallen asleep in the cold.

Carri Jenkins, university spokeswoman, said that students should always prepare well for explorations on the mountain.

“We ask our students to be very careful and cautious and always make sure that others are aware of where they are going,” she said. “We also encourage students to never hike alone.”

Healey said hikers should always attempt a trek with the proper materials. Especially at this time of year, he said, hikers should have proper clothing and shoes, food and water and should never hike alone. If possible, carry a cell phone.

“I feel sore, but just really lucky,” he said. “It was one of the hardest climbs I’ve ever had to do and I just feel so grateful.”



Copyright Brigham Young University 24 Feb 2006