Crews rescue stranded hikers caught off-guard by storms

Thursday, Aug. 17, 2006

By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer

Emergency workers rescued four hikers Tuesday night after thunderstorms left them stranded in a mountainous area of Burke County.

Major Ken Anthony of Burke County Emergency Services said Bill and Connie Topham of Nebo and Lauren Topham and Jason Gulak of Washington, D.C., started the hike in the early afternoon and were unaware of the approaching storms.

They were hiking in the Upper Creek Falls area of the county, he said, "and when the storms came in, they hunkered down."

By 6 p.m., heavy downpours and heavy flooding turned a typically mild Upper Creek into a torrent, Anthony said, blocking their return route. The creek, which typically spans 25 feet, swelled to 50 or 60 feet, he said.

Despite spotty cell phone service, the stranded hikers were able to contact the Emergency Operations Center within the hour.

Rescue crews had to rig safety lines above the rushing waters and transport the hikers across the rapids in harnesses, Anthony said. The alternative to the four-hour rescue would have forced the hikers to make a 12-mile hike through unstable and rough terrain.

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