Solo hiking can be an incredibly risky endeavor if you don’t have the experience. For 48-year-old Mike Turner, a pastor, family man, and avid hiker, a trek across Wyoming on his own would not have been a problem, in fact, it was very much needed. However, one small mistake would ultimately ensure this journey would be the hiker’s last.
Turner was an incredibly experienced hiker. He had embarked on his solo hike in order to renew his connection with God, taking only the family’s black Labrador, Andy, with him for company. Mike and Andy set off on July 30, 1998 with things starting off relatively well, however, by the fourth day, Turner could see that his dog was struggling. The icy ground of the mountain they were hiking across was hurting the animal’s paws.
Turner decided they would come off the path and go around the mountain so as to avoid the ice. Popular YouTuber, MrBallen, covers the events that transpired at length, but it’s safe to say the decision to come off the path would prove to be fatal.
Mike Turner gets stuck
Shortly after coming off the path, Andy would dart off into the woods. Not wanting his dog to get lost, Mike followed after him. This led the pastor into a beautiful clearing with boulders all around.
While it was certainly a pretty sight, it was also incredibly dangerous. Andy was already over the boulders, so Mike decided to follow. As he stepped on one of the boulders, it began to wobble, Turner slipped and ended up with his legs pinned between the falling boulder and another. This was where Mike Turner’s nightmare truly began.
The experienced hiker was stuck fast. Turner tried using everything at his disposal to free himself from the rocks, including his camera tripod, which he hoped would provide him with some leverage to push the boulder. After two hours of failed attempts, he accepted the only way he would be getting out of his predicament would be if someone were to stumble upon him. However, this was unlikely considering he had strayed from the trail.
The long wait
While the experienced hiker had brought some food and drink with him, it wouldn’t last long. As the hours passed into days, Mike recorded his thoughts in his journal, starting out somewhat optimistic, his disposition soon turned into a humorous sort of pessimism as he realized he was running out of water, he even joked about wondering what his own urine would taste like should it come to having to drink it.
As if it wasn’t already a grim predicament, Mike had to deal with the elements as well. During the day, it could be as hot as 98°F and at night it would plunge to almost freezing. At first, he wondered if God was testing him, before concluding this must be divine punishment.
Almost a whole month later, on August 28th, a week after the search for Mike had been called off, two hikers came across a malnourished and wild-looking dog – Andy. A few days later, another solo hiker found the body of Mike. He passed away around August 11.
Next to his body was his journal, which he had made an effort to preserve. Inside was a note to his wife which read, “Thank you for letting me live this adventure. Know wherever I am and whatever I’m doing, I am thinking of you.” His ring had also been placed on a nearby rock, it’s believed that he took it off so it didn’t drop from his corpse and get lost in the rocks below.
