As heavy Winter Storm Izzy came down on much of North Carolina earlier this month, a man went hiking in Pisgah National Forest, despite multiple weather warnings advising people to stay home. When it became clear that the hiker was underprepared for the severe weather, a Haywood County Search and Rescue team strapped on their snowshoes and set out for an emergency evacuation.
On Friday, January 15, the National Weather Service in Raleigh had issued a winter storm watch that was later upgraded to a weather advisory. That same day North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) also urged people to be prepared for the weather after declaring a state of emergency the day before to activate state resources for storm response.
Despite the warnings, the unidentified hiker set out on Saturday to backpack western North Carolina’s Art Loeb Trail. The 30-mile trail in Pisgah National Forest leads to the summits of Black Balsam Knob and Tennent Mountain and is known to be “one of the longer and more difficult trails in the state,” according to AllTrails.
The man survived a night of camping on Saturday, but by Sunday morning he knew he needed to call for help.
According to Haywood County Search & Rescue, they responded to a call reporting a stranded hiker at 10:15 a.m. that Sunday and headed up the Blue Ridge Parkway where “road conditions were treacherous with less than 100 feet of visibility and a wintry mix of sleet and snow falling.”
When the team arrived at the trailhead, they continued in a 4WD truck for about two miles, which was as far as conditions allowed.
“From there, they donned snowshoes and traveled on foot to get to the stranded hiker,” the Haywood County Search & Rescue said in a Facebook post. “Six members of Haywood County Search and Rescue’s highly-trained Mountain Rescue Team participated in the search. Mountain Rescue Team members receive intensive alpine rescue training specifically designed to challenge individuals to prepare them for winter rescue scenarios exactly like those they encountered on this mission.”
Thanks to the trained officials of Haywood County Search & Rescue, the man was found safely without any injuries. As severe weather can quickly become a larger threat, especially this time of year, the organization urges the public to always remember to check the weather forecast and trail conditions before heading into the wild.
“The hiker was in good spirits, despite the long night he just endured and was able to walk out on his own alongside the rescuers,” the team said in the Facebook post, which included a photo of the rescuers smiling in their bright orange gear after a job well done.
Cover Photo of rescue personnel trekking through the storm. Photo by Haywood County Search and Rescue.
