Missing Hiker Found Safe

Here's yet another way in which the world of aviation impacts the lives of regular Americans. On Friday, May 1st, members of the Prince William Composite Squadron (PWCS), Civil Air Patrol (CAP) got their "Call for Duty". The Virginia Wing of CAP was activated by the US Air Force Rescue Coordination Center to assist the Virginia Department of Emergency Management with a missing hiker search near Buena Vista, VA. The hiker was last seen on Sunday, April 25th, on the Appalachian Trail in Amherst County. The Commander of the Prince William Composite Squadron (PWCS), CAP Major Jim Covel, and his staff begin to mobilize the local CAP resources to respond.

The hiker, who was a "veteran" hiker and worked as an editor for a national hiking magazine, was 41 years old and legally blind. He resided in Michigan, and while he had considerable hiking experience, he had never hiked in the area in question.

The initial call was for CAP to provide airborne communications relay services for the rapidly expanding ground search operation along the Blue Ridge Parkway and Appalachian Trail. The Prince William Composite Squadron provided the first aircraft on this mission Friday evening. The aircraft was crewed by Capt. Steve Hertz of the Group-3 Staff and Capt. Tim Carey of the PWCS. They spent several hours on station until relieved by another CAP aircraft. Later on Saturday, another PWCS CAP aircraft returned for the duty. This aircraft was crewed by Capt. John Karanikas and 1Lt. Steve Koski, both of the PWCS.

The CAP effort was led initially by LtCol Mike Portanova from VAWG HQ until he was succeeded Friday night by LtCol Dave Carter, Commander of the Fredericksburg Composite Sqn. CAP also dispatched ground search teams from several units around the state and staff support personnel for the mission base. Maj. Covel transported a ground search team from the PWCS consisting of five cadets. Responding were C/Col Jacob Elphee, his brother, C/Capt Joshua Elphee, C/Lt Joseph DeWitt, C/Lt Nicholas Howe, and C/Lt Krista Harbold. Upon arrival at the mission base, Maj. Covel was tasked assisting the mission management. The ground team was deployed under the leadership of 1Lt Steve Romeo of the Burke Composite Sqn.

The CAP response was in support the now massive search operation being conducted by the US Park Service, VDEM, authorities from Amherst and Rockbridge Counties and numerous wilderness search & rescue groups from throughout the region. This response included trackers, air-scent dog teams, and mounted searchers. The terrain in the 20 square mile search area was later described by a VDEM official as "horrendous". It was difficult going for the search teams and the mountainous terrain severely limited radio communications. The CAP airborne radio relay proved to be essential to effective communications between the mission base and the various search teams.
 
On Saturday afternoon, the lost hiker, who had wandered several miles off of the Appalachian Trail, started a fire that got away from him. The expanding fire was reported to the Amherst County fire officials. The responding firefighters found the hiker. Even after having spent one week "lost" in this area alone, he was in extremely good physical and mental shape. After a short hospital check on Saturday evening he was reunited with his family.

The Virginia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol deployed 56 volunteers and five aircraft on this mission. At least three full ground search teams and a number of individual ground team members responded as well. The CAP aircraft flew eleven sorties and the ground teams handled another 10 search sorties during the mission. All CAP responders were released to return home by 6 PM on Saturday, May 2nd. The PWCS ground team returned to Manassas at 10:30 PM.

FMI: www.capnhq.gov