Injured Hiker Rescued From Old Rag Mountain

NPS Digest is reporting this morning that Shenandoah National Park rangers responded to a report on June 3rd that a man had fallen on Old Rag Mountain in the park’s Central District. Initial reports were that he’d broken a leg and was unable to move.

Ascending Old Rag Mountain requires a three-and-a-half mile hike up Ridge Trail, followed by a mile-long rock scramble to the summit. The rock scramble contains numerous technical areas that create a more challenging experience for hikers. Once at the summit, visitors are back on a trail which leads to a fire road back to the park’s boundary.

Shortly after the report came in, a Shenandoah trail crew arrived on scene and confirmed the initial report of the man’s condition. Rangers determined he had a broken tibia-fibula and prepared him for a litter carryout. He was extricated via litter through the remainder of the rock scramble to the Ridge Trail, where he was put on a wheeled litter and transported to the trailhead. He refused further care and was taken to a hospital by someone in his party.


Jeff
Hiking in the Smokies