EMA/SAR recover lost hikers on Rabun Bald

The Rabun County Emergency Management Agency and Search and Rescue (EMA/SAR) safely recovered two lost hikers after nearly a three-hour operation.

According to EMA/SAR Director Micheal Mazarky, the lost hikers managed to find enough cell service to call authorities and request assistance on Sunday at 5:49 p.m.

“We got a call from an individual who said they parked on Darnell Creek Road and went hiking but had gotten lost,” Mazarky said. “They ended up on the Bartram Trail not far from Rabun Bald. So SAR and Station 9 from Sky Valley went out and found them and brought them down the mountain.”

EMA/SAR crews recovered the lost hikers at 8:47 p.m. after clearing a path for their ATVs.

“We took the ranger up to the top of Rabun Bald just because we didn’t know the status of the individuals,” he said. “But there were trees in the way from the previous storm so we had to cut them up and get them out of the way.”

No injuries were reported.

Mazarky offered the following tips to stay safe if you plan on heading out for a hike:

“One, stay on marked trails. Two, take enough supplies that even if you are only going on a day hike somewhere on a known trail, take enough food and water where you’ll be able to get through a night with. Also, take a solar blanket, something to keep warm with,” he said. “You never know when something may happen and you get stuck in the woods overnight.”