Utah’s rugged backcountry provides outdoor recreation to many visitors, but the beauty that makes it appealing can also lead to tragedy.

It happened Saturday morning, when Green Lake Boy Scout Anthony Alvin fell about 100 feet to his death.

The 18-year-old was trying to leap from one rock formation to another during a scout trip.

This happened at the Gemini Bridges, a tremendous sandstone formation near Moab, Utah, that looks like a bridge, with a large vertical gap through it.

This creates the idea of dual “bridges” of sandstone rock. It’s a common destination for sight-seeing on federal land.

Grand County, Utah, Chief Deputy Curt Brewer said Alvin had been attempting to jump the chasm, which is approximately 6 feet across.

The scout landed, but fell backward, Brewer said.

“Where Anthony fell, he was trying to jump from one rock formation to another — trying to jump across this gap between the rocks,” Brewer said.

Alvin fell into the gap and through the rock formation, and then down into the canyon. It was about 100 feet total, almost straight down.

Green Lake Boy Scouts and leaders from Troop 630 — totaling 24 — had been on a 12-day excursion to Utah.

Gemini Bridges was to be one of the group’s final stops before returning Monday.

Alvin was the only Green Lake scout to attempt the jump, Brewer said. At the time of the incident, Alvin and another scout were in the immediate area, he said.

“There wasn’t anybody that had done it before him [that day],” Brewer said. “He had made a comment about wanting to jump across it, and there was some talk from one or two others that they didn’t want him to attempt it.”

However, it wasn’t the first death at Gemini Bridges.

Alvin’s incident was “almost identical” to another death at the same location in the mid-1990s, Brewer said. That victim was a teenager who also attempted to leap the chasm.

amily members and friends of Anthony Alvin remember him as a hard worker and a pleasant person to be around.

Alvin would have been a senior this fall, and was planning to serve on Green Lake Student Council. He was killed Saturday in a tragic fall in Utah.

He had just turned 18.

Alvin spent a lot of time in the art room at school. Art teacher Leslie Wood described him as “a wonderful kid” who did more work than his peers.

“Anything I would ask him to do, he did it,” she said.

She remembers one picture Alvin created of an eagle, with the bird’s perspective below.

“This last year, he got so confident in his work, and he really grew,” Wood said.

Several other Green Lake teachers also spoke highly of him. Christine Schultz — a grade 7-12 special education teacher — had Alvin in class.

“My students are part of my family, and to lose a member is heartbreaking,” she said. “Anthony was a gifted artist, and one of his dreams was to work for Disney and reside in Florida. My heart hurts for our entire Green Lake community. The roots of this sorrow are far-reaching. I don’t believe Anthony realized how many lives he touched with his infectious smile, gentle spirit and great sense of humor.”

Biology teacher Tom Eddy said Alvin had a good work ethic, and was “the most pleasant young man you could imagine.”...

In times like this, “the whole community grieves and everybody loses,” Eddy said. “And that’s especially true with Anthony, because he was so well liked.”

Social studies teacher Mary Hunter described Alvin as “a gentle, kind soul.”

“We were privileged to have him as a student in Green Lake, and he will be missed,” she said.

Hunter especially remembers Alvin’s smile. He would smile at everybody, she said.

“And you couldn’t help but smile back,” Hunter said....

District Administrator Ken Bates remembers how Alvin and others would eat lunch with him and share stories. Alvin had a consistently friendly personality, Bates said.

“He was a nice, nice kid,” Bates said.

Green Lake School Principal Mary Allen, also a former teacher of Alvin, said he was “loved and respected.”

“He will be remembered for his gentle spirit, positive attitude and willingness to help others,” Allen said. “Our students and staff will miss him.”

Alvin’s grandmother, Arlene Alvin of Green Lake, said he was a caring person who watched over his friends.

“He was very dedicated to the Boy Scouts,” she said.

Her grandson often talked of donating his organs, but the rescue team was not able to reach the body in time, she said.

“He was probably the most caring teenager,” she said. “He always gave me a hug before he left.”...

Alvin’s visitation will be held Thursday from 9 to 11 a.m. at Green Lake High School.

A funeral service will follow at 11 a.m., with the Revs. Karen Gygax Rodriguez and Mark West officiating. Burial will follow in Dartford Cemetery.

A memorial fund has been set up at Golden Rule Community Credit Union in Ripon. For more information, call 748-5336.