Missing hiker found trapped at base of frigid 700-foot cliff, Tennessee rescuers say
Rescuers looking for a missing hiker faced conditions so treacherous in an east Tennessee gorge that one suffered hypothermia when temperatures hit minus 13 degrees, according to first responders.
The search began at about 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16, and concluded 17 hours later when the hiker was pulled from the base of a 700-foot bluff in Fall Creek Falls State Park.
How the hiker ended up in that predicament has not been revealed, but the initial call reported someone was lost near the north entrance of the 29,800-acre park, the Piney Volunteer Fire Department said in a news release.
The park was blanketed with snow at the time, and the high temperature for the day was forecast to be only 23 degrees.
“Personnel arrived and found tracks in the snow leading into the woods. The track was followed to the bluff line overlooking Cane Creek gorge,” fire department officials said.
“Due to the steep terrain, deep snow, and frigid conditions, rescue personnel were called back (and) Tennessee Highway Patrol was requested to fly the area with their ... thermal imaging camera. The THP helicopter responded to the area and found the subject.”
Rope systems were used to pull the hiker up, the fire department says. “The patient” was then carried to the top of escarpment for transport to a hospital, officials said.
The last of the rescuers made it back to the top of the bluff at about 8 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 17.
“The extremely cold temperatures and deep snow hampered rescue efforts. The temperature was recorded as low as -13 degrees,” the fire department reports.
“One rescuer was treated at a local hospital for mild hypothermia but was expected to be released (Jan. 17).”
Details of the hiker’s identity and condition were not released.
Fall Creek Falls state Park is about 125 miles west of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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