Men spent frigid night stuck on 200-foot cliff in North Carolina, rescuers say

Two climbers stranded in the dark atop a sheer cliff wall resorted to stuffing their clothes with leaves to stay warm, according searchers in western North Carolina.

A dramatic rescue was staged Monday, Dec. 22, after the Transylvania County Rescue Squad learned around 8 a.m. that climbers were stuck on Looking Glass Rock near Brevard. The “ball of granitic rock” stands 3,969 high and temperatures had fallen to 28 degrees overnight, officials said.

An initial drone search failed to find the men, prompting rescuers to begin climbing the wall with the help of removable anchors placed in the rock, squad officials said in a Facebook post.

“The missing persons last made contact at 1 a.m. when they reported being stranded 200 ft up,” officials said.

“At approximately 10:10 a.m. rescuers made verbal contact with the missing party in the trees above the South Side climbing area. Rescuers climbed 200 ft of vertical rock ... to reach the stranded party. Both climbers were found uninjured having survived a night out in freezing temperatures by stuffing their clothes with leaves.”

The climbers were lowered to the ground, examined by medical personnel, then taken to their vehicle, officials said. Their identities were not released.

They were stranded from 6:30 p.m. Sunday until around 10 a.m. Monday, and the men had a plan to “self rescue,” according to Transylvania County Rescue Chief Christopher Alquiza.

“However, given that they had no cell phones, were unprepared for a night in the woods, and faced cold temperatures, their loved ones called 911 at 8 a.m. to perform the rescue,” Alquiza told The Charlotte Observer in an email.

The men got stuck due to one key oversight: They didn’t bring lights, officials said.

Sunset in the Brevard area came around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday.

“The stranded climbers were equipped for their climbing route but started late in the day and failed to bring a reliable light source,” the squad said. “They made the great decision to stay put once night fell and avoided turning an unfortunate situation tragic.”

Looking Glass Rock is about a 135-mile drive west from uptown Charlotte.

This story was originally published December 24, 2025 at 7:46 AM with the headline "Men spent frigid night stuck on 200-foot cliff in North Carolina, rescuers say."