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A 27-year-old hiker and his dog, Angel, were exploring at approximately 10 p.m. on Sunday, April 9 at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park when they unexpectedly found themselves in a perilous position after falling into a potentially problematic cavern along the way off the main trail.
The incident was reported on a cliff above the Shenandoah River in the area along the Loudon Heights Trail, across the river and south of the Historic Harpers Ferry Lower Town, when the unnamed hiker became lost and couldn’t navigate his way back where he started.
Local police in Jefferson County were able to speak with the hiker on the phone, and his headlamp could be seen on the cliffs; however, due to the steep and treacherous terrain, they were unable to safely reach him, prompting a call to the Maryland State Police Aviation Command in Frederick.
Once overhead, the state police helicopter hovered approximately 150 feet above the hiker and his dog, and a trooper was lowered into what was described as "a very small and challenging opening in a heavily-wooded, steep, and rocky area.”
The trooper was able to make contact with the hiker, who remarkably required no medical attention or assistance. Both the man and dog were safely loaded into a rescue basket and hoisted to the aircraft hovering above the site of the incident.
Following the heroic rescue, the hiker and dog were flown to the helipad at the US Customers and Border Protection Advanced Training Facility near Harpers Ferry, where they were evaluated by waiting paramedics, who coordinated arrangements for a friend to pick them up.
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