Three hikers from South Carolina were rescued off a trail on Grandfather Mountain on Wednesday morning, March 7th. The group was hiking the Profile Trail off Highway 105 to Calloway Peak when bad weather set in. Mitchell, Jonathan and Jaclyn Garland, of South Carolina, camped out on the trail overnight and became stranded by the snowfall. The hikers called 911 around 8 am asking for assistance as they did not feel comfortable finding the trail in the snow. Grandfather Mountain Park rangers and Avery County emergency workers hiked up the trail taking the hikers warm clothes and hand warmers. The Garlands were cold and wet as they did not have appropriate clothing for the conditions but otherwise were ok and walked down the trail on their own. The Profile Trail is a 7 mile long trail on the west side of Grandfather Mountain. The trail features beautiful views, steep inclines, strenuous pathways with lots of rock, stream crossings during high water and ladder climbing.
