Utah Hiker Injured After Following Blood Trail – Solo Incident

A pair of hikers following a blood trail discovered a seriously injured solo hiker near a Utah waterfall on February 4, kicking off a rescue mission that ended with a helicopter evacuation and an experienced adventurer fighting for her life in the hospital.

Speaking to Salt Lake City’s KSL, the mother of the injured hiker, Jacque Tietjen, said that hikers found her unconscious Tuesday night at the bottom of a 45-degree slope near Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon. They wrapped her in their jackets while waiting for help to arrive. Utah County Search and Rescue and the North Fork Fire Department responded to the scene and quickly determined that Tietjen would require an air evacuation. A Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter packaged and hoisted her from the trail, then transferred her to a medevac helicopter to Utah Valley Hospital.

According to a GoFundMe established by the family, Tietjen has extensive experience in the outdoors, with a special love for climbing and photography. She suffered extensive injuries, including “multiple brain bleeds, a large skull fracture, facial fractures, and a minimal tear of the carotid artery,” and remains under sedation while doctors monitor the swelling in her brain.

Sergeant Raymond Ormond, a public information officer for the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, said that authorities still aren’t completely sure how Tietjen got injured, but that they believe she fell a significant distance. Ormond noted that while the part of the canyon where Tietjen was found lies just a quarter-mile from a paved road, it’s rugged and shaded and still held a significant amount of snow and ice at the time of the rescue.

With its scenery and easy access, Bridal Veil Falls has been the site of a number of incidents in recent years, including several fatalities. In 2024, 70-year-old Diane Dewey died after being struck by a falling rock, while in 2021, Adrian Vanderklis, 40, fell to his death while climbing above the waterfall with his fiancée’s 9-year-old son.

Like much of the mountain west, Utah has experienced an atypically warm winter, a fact that has driven many people onto trails that would normally be buried in snow. Not all of those hikers have been prepared: Ormond said that in recent weeks, local rescuers have had to respond to a number of incidents involving people who were not prepared for winter conditions, including a trail runner who slipped and injured himself while dressed in shorts and a tank top. He cautioned that anyone planning on hiking in the area should still bring seasonally appropriate equipment, including Microspikes or other traction devices where necessary.