Injured hikers rescued hours apart after falling on icy Appalachian Trail in Virginia
Rescue crews had their hands full after two hikers became injured in separate incidents along the Appalachian Trail over the weekend, according to Virginia officials.
The hikers were rescued hours apart on the same day amid snowy and icy conditions that blanketed parts of the more than 2,000-mile trail, which runs through 14 states in the eastern U.S.
The first rescue unfolded on the trail near Big Island just after 10 a.m. Saturday, according to officials with Virginia’s Division 3 Technical Rescue Team. It took crews more than eight hours to free a hiker who suffered injuries to his face and legs after falling down a snow-covered mountainside.
The man had also become hypothermic, officials said. Temperatures reached 36 degrees in Big Island on Saturday with a low of 23, according to AccuWeather.
Using a rope and pulley system, crews lowered one rescuer to secure the hiker located about 250 feet down, officials said. The rescuer hooked the hiker onto the line, and both were hoisted to safety.
The team also used a helicopter to assist in the rescue, plucking the injured hiker from the mountain before he was taken to a hospital for treatment.
“This incident was complex due to an array of factors; but all agencies were able to work seamlessly with a positive outcome for the hiker,” the rescue team wrote on Facebook.
A second rescue occurred about an hour west in Roanoke County near McAfee Knob, according to the county’s Fire & Rescue Department. Officials said a hiker fell off the Sawtooth Trail, a connector trail on the Appalachian Trail, down a steep embankment and injured his head.
“The patient had to be carried out off the trail through steep, icy terrain and over a creek, exiting near The Homeplace Restaurant,” the department said in a news release. “The patient was transported to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries at about 2:40 p.m.”
Both hikers are expected to be OK, officials said.
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy has urged hikers to take extra precautions on winter trips, citing “ice, snow, and rapidly-changing weather conditions.”
Experts suggest being prepared with the appropriate footwear, hiking gear and emergency supplies; staying at low elevations; and never being “too afraid (or too proud) to quit” if conditions are worse than expected.
“Be flexible with your plans and consider delaying until weather and hiking conditions improve,” the conservancy said.
This story was originally published February 22, 2021 at 2:50 PM.