Emergency crews braved hilly terrain on Thursday to rescue a person who fell ill while hiking the Appalachian Foot Trail adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The call for help came in electronically to to the Amherst County Dispatch center, at approximately 11:15 A.M., via an SOS signal from a satellite device, which reported that an individual was experiencing weakness.
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The Monelison Volunteer Fire Department reports that they weren’t able to contact that person so Amherst Fire & EMS, along with crews from Pedlar Fire, were dispatched to a spot near the Punchbowl Overlook.
Given the emergency nature of the call and the challenge of tackling all that hilly terrain, dispatchers requested help from the Monelison Fire Department, the Amherst Fire Department, the Amherst Sheriff’s Office, and the Glasgow Fire Department.
Upon arriving at the Punchbowl Overlook at the Appalachian Foot Trail, first responders began a 3.5 mile trek into the woods.
Firefighters say that at approximately 1:02 P.M., teams made contact with the hiker. They called for a Virginia State Police helicopter to assist in lifting them out, but area storms made that kind of rescue impossible.
So, the crews placed the patient in a specialized stretcher known as a stokes basket and began carrying them back, miles away, to the waiting medic unit.
There’s no word as of Friday afternoon of the hiker’s condition, or identity.
We’re told the operation concluded at 3:02 P.M., when all crews had exited the woods, and members of the medic team received care for their efforts.
The Monelison Volunteer Fire Department said in a Facebook post: “The successful outcome of this incident highlights the effective teamwork among multiple agencies and the coordinated efforts managed by dispatch.”
Thanks to Firefighter Mark Luther of MVFD for sharing photos via Facenbook.