Injured hiker has to be carried from Linville Gorge in darkness, NC rescuers say

A hiker who fell from a North Carolina mountain had to be carried out of Linville Gorge Wilderness area after weather conditions prevented a helicopter from reaching the site, Burke County Search and Rescue reports.

The hiker survived, despite blood loss that led to attempts at a blood transfusion on the trail, according to a news release.

Burke County officials say they learned around 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15, that a hiker “had fallen approximately 45 (feet) at the top of Hawksbill Mountain.” The mountain is about 105 miles northwest of Charlotte.

When Burke County Emergency Medical Services reached the scene, “it was determined that due to the nature of injuries, the patient would require whole blood before making it out of the woods.”

High winds prevented rescuers from airlifting the hiker off the top of Hawksbill Mountain, so arrangements were made to transport nurses via helicopter to a parking area near the mountain, officials said.

“The flight nurses then hiked whole blood into the woods where they met our crews on the trail. Although blood made it to our patient, the flight crew determined that it was not needed,” officials said.

“All crews and the patient made it safely out of the woods around 1 a.m. The patient was transported to a local trauma center.”

The identity of the hiker and their status at the hospital were not released.

Hawksbill Mountan (elevation 4,009 feet) rises over the Linville Gorge and the surrounding trail is consider a “strenuous hike,” according to Romanticasheville.com.

“The terrain is steep and rugged with numerous rock formations,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture says. “It is covered by dense hardwood/pine forest and a wide variety of smaller trees.”

This story was originally published October 17, 2022 at 7:27 AM with the headline "Injured hiker has to be carried from Linville Gorge in darkness, NC rescuers say."