SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) — A hiker stranded on Mt. Superior was rescued amid a severe thunderstorm on Thursday, according to Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue.

Rescue crews were called out at around 4:30 p.m. on August 3, officials said. The hiker, who had summited Mt. Superior earlier in the day, was reportedly caught in a storm while descending.

“Due to the cloud cover, the hiker accidentally got off trail and no longer felt safe to continue,” SLCOSAR stated.

Two teams hiked up the trail with rope and anchor gear to help the hiker, officials said. The hiker was reportedly a few hundred feet below the main trail at Little Superior.

  • Courtesy of Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue
  • Courtesy of Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue
  • Courtesy of Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue
  • Courtesy of Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue
  • Courtesy of Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue

“Two members were belayed down to the hiker, got him on belay, and scrambled back up to the trail,” SLCOSAR stated.

Officials said that severe thunderstorms approached during the hike back to the trail, though luckily, there was not cloud-to-ground lightning in the teams’ location.

“Through rain, clouds, and some cloud-to-cloud lightning lower on the trail, everyone was safely off the mountain by about 10pm,” SLCOSAR stated. “It was ‘interesting’ to watch the storm front approach from behind and then over/engulf the Pfeifferhorn/White Baldy/Thunder Ridge, etc, while the teams were descending to the hiker.”

The duration of the rescue lasted around five and a half hours.