Appalachian Trail hiker reports alleged bear attack

RABUN COUNTY — Last weekend, a hiker trekking on the Appalachian Trail reported to local law enforcement she had stumbled across what appeared to be lost hiking gear that been ravaged by a bear.

According to Amy Parent, she had been on the trail over the weekend when she located a complete camping gear set-up just off of the trailhead.

Black bears live along many parts of the Trail and are particularly common in Georgia, the Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains national parks, and parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. While attacks on humans are rare, a startled bear may react aggressively.

Parent told a deputy from the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office that she had got close enough to see that the gear had been torn up and scattered. She also mentioned she could see large bear-like bite marks in some of the items.

Parent also notified law enforcement of a missing hiker report from the Kennesaw Mountain area —  David Blake, an avid hiker who has been missing since mid-March. Cobb County authorities found the 25-year-old Marietta man’s car in an overflow parking lot on Old Highway 41. Inside the vehicle was a bag that Blake carried when he went on long hikes.

The responding deputy who fielded Parent’s call contacted Cobb County authorities upon learning this information but was informed that Blake’s missing person report, and the abandoned gear, were not believed to be related to one another.

The deputy made an attempt to reach the desolate area where the gear was reportedly located but was unable to do so due to poor weather conditions.

WRBN/WGHC News will keep the public informed as new information is released regarding this report.