A lost hiker at Fall Creek Falls State Park went over a high bluff on Tuesday afternoon. The body was recovered after a difficult search in deep snow and ice.
At approximately 3 p.m., Piney Volunteer Fire Department, Fall Creek Falls Fire Department, Fall Creek Falls State Park, and Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a lost person off the Park Road near the north entrance of Fall Creek Falls State Park.
Personnel arrived and found tracks in the snow leading into the woods.
The track was followed to the bluff line overlooking Cane Creek gorge.
Due to the steep terrain, deep snow, and frigid conditions, rescue personnel were called back to rehab. Tennessee Highway Patrol was requested to fly the area with their FLIR thermal imaging camera. The THP helicopter responded to the area and found the body. Personnel were quickly dispatched to respond to the location. It took a crew of park rangers over an hour to hike in to the location.
After a location was confirmed, rescue personnel arrived from Dunlap Fire Department, Chattanooga Cave and Cliff, Putnam County Rescue Squad, White County Rescue Squad, Warren County Rescue Squad, Sequatchie County EMA, and rangers from many state parks across Tennessee.
The victim was down a 700-foot bluff that required a couple of rope systems to be set up for hauls.
The rescue personnel worked together to set up the systems and man the ropes. People were also swapped out when possible to allow for rehab and warming themselves. The extremely cold temperatures and deep snow hampered rescue efforts. The temperature was recorded as low as -13 degrees Fahrenheit.
The victim was brought to the top of the escarpment and carried out to meet a vehicle to be transported to an ambulance. The last rescuer made it to the top of the bluff around 8 a.m.
One rescuer was treated at a local hospital for mild hypothermia.