An experienced hiker who had set off on a solo trek across Wyoming left a heartbreaking diary telling how a freak accident left him trapped and eventually led to his death. Presbyterian minister Mike Turner had gone on a solo expedition to renew his connection with God, with just his black Labrador Andy by his side.

"He and Andy had been up at an elevation of about 13,000 ft, walking on some Icy parts of the mountain and Andy's paws were getting really raw from walking on the jagged ice", Podcaster Mr Ballen explained. "On the fourth day Mike had noticed Andy was whimpering and struggling to keep up, when normally he was super-energetic."

This act of kindness ultimately cost Mike his life. Shortly after deviating from his original route, the Presbyterian minister was giving Andy some water when the dog dashed into some nearby trees, reports the Mirror.

Following him, Mike stumbled upon a stunning sight: a vast lake encircled by a chaotic array of boulders of varying sizes.

Andy had darted across these boulders and was joyfully lapping up water from the lake. Mike began navigating his way across the rocky terrain to reach his dog. But then disaster struck.

One of the boulders started wobbling as Mike stepped on it, and as the 48 year old tried to regain his balance, he slipped between two of the rocks. Before he could climb out of his predicament, the wobbling boulder rolled over completely, leaving him totally trapped.

While the shape of the rocks meant that Mike wasn't injured, he had no way of getting free. Mr Ballen explains: "After two hours of trying in vain to free himself it dawned on Mike that he was not going to be able to free himself. The only way he was getting out of here is if somebody found him and rescued him."

Mike had food, and a small amount of water, and he decided to keep a journal of his experience until rescue came.

But as the days passed, his diary slowly shifted in tone from optimism to a sort of gallows 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 were as high as 37ºC during the days, but plummeted to almost freezing at night.

Mike wrote of how he thought God might be giving him this experience as some sort of lesson, then changed his mind and angrily decided that God must be punishing him, before finally accepting that he was coming to the end of his life. .

Andy the loyal dog never left his owner's side, lying on a ledge above him for days. On August 5, after being trapped for four days, Mike wrote in his journal: "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? ".

Mike's wife grew increasingly worried when he failed to meet her at the trail's end as planned. She contacted the authorities, but since they were unaware of Mike's route change, a rescue party was sent off in the wrong direction.

It wasn't until August 28, nearly a month after Mike kicked off his hike and a week after the search party had given up, that a pair of ramblers miles from the search area stumbled upon a very bedraggled black Labrador. Once Andy had been given the once-over by a vet, they kicked off a fresh search in the right spot.

But by that point, Mike had already been found. Another lone wanderer, Jeff Stewart, was traipsing near an unnamed lake in the Wyoming wilds when he clocked a bloke who looked like he was sitting on a rock.

Speaking to Backpacker magazine, he said: "I had seen the posters at the trailhead and knew they were looking for someone," and added, "So I called out, 'Hey, are you all right? ' There was no answer. I knew there wouldn't be."

A heartbreaking final note left by Mike for his beloved wife said: "Thank you for letting me live this adventure. Know wherever I am and whatever I'm doing, I am thinking of you."

Tragically, Mike succumbed to exposure, hypothermia, and dehydration roughly nine days following his tragic mishap. His journal was found beside him, secured in a plastic sleeve against the harsh weather.

Poignantly, on a stone nearby, Mike had rested his wedding band: "He knew once he died and decomposed the ring would fall off his bones and be lost in the rocks below," explained Mr Ballen.

"He clearly wanted his family to have that wedding ring, so he placed it on the rRock and then he prepared to die."