Hiker hospitalized after fall Sunday at Hanging Rock State Park in North Carolina
A hiker had to be rescued Sunday after a fall at North Carolina’s Hanging Rock State Park, according to the Stokes County Fire & Rescue Association.
The hiker was identified as Josiah Davis by the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation.
Stokes County officials say the incident happened at the park’s Lower Cascades shortly before noon Sunday. The park is about 30 miles north of Winston-Salem, near the Virginia state line.
The hiker lost his balance, fell up to 40 feet, then “slid” another 70 feet, TV station WNCT 9 reported. The fall happened at a time when light rain and mist were falling in the park, state officials told McClatchy News.
“A young man was hiking and fell from the lower cascades waterfall,” according to Katie Hall for the N.C. Division of Parks. “He left the park conscious with a broken leg, and other injuries. ... He was hiking with his brother. The incident occurred when he was hiking off-trail.”
Davis was taken to Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, she said.
At least five fire and rescue departments participated in the “high angle rescue,” according to officials.
“Team members assisted with splinting and packaging the patient, as well as setting up rigging for the safety line,” the department said in a Facebook post.
Hanging Rock State Park has “20 miles of hiking trails that climb onto spectacular views,” with the Lower Cascades Trail listed among its “moderate” trails, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation.
“The trail is made up of gravel, dirt, and rock. Hike a short distance through the forest on level ground to the edge of the gorge, before descending steep wooden and stone stairs to the base of the waterfall,” the park system reports.
“Cascade Creek, which originates at the park lake, emerges from atop the naturally carved stone wall, noisily falling 35 feet into a large pool.”
This story was originally published March 1, 2021 at 7:47 AM with the headline "Hiker hospitalized after fall Sunday at Hanging Rock State Park in North Carolina."