Snow-covered trail, Testnatee Gap trailhead at Cow Rock Mountain in White County. (Photo/Shad Sosebee)
(Cleveland)- White County Mountain Rescue personnel assisted Towns County officials on Wednesday with an incident involving an injured person on the Appalachian Trail.
David Murphy, White County Public Safety Director advised by email that Towns County requested the help around 7 PM. Personnel responded to Unicoi Gap on Highway 75, north of Helen. The injured individual was located between Unicoi Gap and Blue Mountain.
Murphy said, the City of Helen Fire Dept. Polaris ATV was requested because Towns County was having issues with their ATV.
Once the patient was located and packaged, Murphy said, responders escorted the patient out to the awaiting Towns County medical unit. White County firefighters terminated the call just after midnight.
The patient, according to Murphy, had non-life threatening injuries.
This call was the second mountain rescue. Murphy said, early Tuesday evening at 5PM, White County 911 received a call via an agent from Spot Gen 3 advising they had a lost hiker on the Testnatee Gap trailhead at Cow Rock Mountain in White County.
According to Murphy, rescuers were from White County Fire, DNR, White County EMS, and Lumpkin County Fire; three teams hiked in about 35 minutes on the snowy/icy trail. The hiker was from Rhode Island and was an avid hiker but the snowy conditions covered the trail and she lost her way.
The hiker, who was not injured, was very glad to be found because it was 24 degrees, wind was blowing 12-15 MPH, and the sun was going down.
