POPLAR — A couple out for a hike was rescued on Sunday, July 5 after getting lost near Unaka Mountain in Northwest Mitchell County.
Mitchell County Sheriff’s Department Detective Ashley Beam said the man and woman, whose names were not released, parked their car near the North Carolina/Tennessee border off of Highway 197 around 2 p.m.
The couple intended to hike to Lost Cove in Yancey County, however, the pair ended up eight miles away from their vehicle off of a forest service access road in Poplar.
“If they were planning to go to Lost Cove from there, it would have been at least another eight miles and they would’ve needed rappel gear and a raft,” Beam said.
The couple found cell phone service and called Mitchell County Emergency Communications around 8 p.m. where a Phase II, which tracks cell phone location, was used to locate them.
The Bradshaw Fire Department, the Mitchell County Sheriff’s Department and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission all assisted in the rescue using three trucks and an ATV.
Beam said the two were severely dehydrated because they only brought a small amount of water for the hike.
The couple was back at their vehicle by midnight.
Beam said people should “take this as a lesson” and prepare for a lack of cell phone service before going out into a forest.
“People need to be prepared for what they’re getting into,” Beam said. “I feel like people rely too heavily on their cell phones and when you’re in the dangerous wilderness with no cell phone service, you should have a plan.”