That's my neck of the woods -- our usual campground is near there and we've hiked extensively in that area. He is a lucky man to have survived all that. The slope beneath the AT can be very steep and is extremely rocky in that area.

I wonder precisely what "hiking club" this was. I doubt he had informed them of his history of seizures. And I'm reminded why when groups of my friends hike (as many as 6-8 peops), the person in the lead and the one at the back each have walkie-talkies. Disparate levels of fitness can result in the group stretching out.

If some strange guy carrying an ice axe in August were in my group, I wouldn't be hanging back with him.


"...he hiked with an ice axe, something not normally seen in Shenandoah in August."

"He was described as an alcohol user who had a history of seizures that would leave him mobile but disoriented for hours at a time."

"...one team found clues believed to be associated with the missing person, including an empty bottle of vodka."

" The man ultimately spent four days in the hospital, being treated for significant chemical imbalances among other things."

"He had started with the group on the trail but was the last in line. He then experienced a seizure shortly into the hike."

"... he was hiking the AT when he stumbled off the trail and tumbled down the steep slopes, ending up well below the trail. "