Missing Hiker - Wintergreen Mountain

Wintergreen Rescue Squad was dispatched to search for a missing hiker. The hiker had been missing since 10:30 this morning. Due to medical conditions, we knew the lost person would not make the same decisions most people would make when they become lost. Essentially, the person could have been anywhere within a 3 hour walk.

Wintergreen Police, Fire, and Rescue made a quick attack on the scenario. We threw all of our available resources at the problem. Approximately 90 minutes into the call, an assessment was made that more help would be needed to find this hiker before cold and darkness set in.

We notified the Virginia Department of Emergency Management that a professional search team would likely be needed. We also sent out an emergency message to all Wintergreen residents who were able and willing to immediately assist with the effort to respond to our command post. We also requested that all Wintergreen Road Maintenance staff report to the command post. Within 30 minutes there was a small army of people asking to go to work. With teams of two, we covered a lot of ground very quickly.

The story has a happy ending, as the missing person was returned to her home at approximately 7PM the same day.

Special thanks to Wilson Fire Department, Virginia Department of Emergency Management, and the dozens of people who assisted in the search.