Tragedy struck on Saturday, April 17 at Linville Gorge as a hiker died after a long fall from a rock formation. A man and his son were hiking the Babel Tower trailhead when the man, who looked to be in his late 50s, apparently decided to climb part of Babel Tower without any ropes. Burke County EMS arrived around 12:30 pm after hiking more than a mile to the incident location and found the victim dead upon arrival. Burke County EMS Capt. Brad Browning said it is believed the victim fell about 40 to 60 feet and that he did had not originally intended to climb the rock formation when he and his son set off to hike the trail. The victim was recovered with help from the N.C. Helo-Aquatic Rescue Team. Babel Tower is a popular destination in the Linville Gorge Wilderness and is one of the most heavily used official trails on the western side of the gorge. It is a massive rock pinnacle rising over 400 feet above a giant horseshoe curve in the river. The incident is currently under investigation by the US Forest Service. The victim’s name has not been released.
Photo by David Ingham
