HAYWOOD COUNTY, N.C. â A stranded hiker Sunday received assistance escaping the winter storm in North Carolina.
The man had been on the Art Loeb Trail near the Shining Rock Wilderness area, which is located southwest of Asheville in Haywood County along the Blue Ridge Parkway, when he feared the weather conditions were more than he was prepared to handle, according to a Facebook post from the Haywood County Search & Rescue.
Around 10:15 a.m. Sunday, rescuers received the notification from the man. Crews traveled along the Blue Ridge Parkway, which had been closed to anyone other than emergency personnel, to the trailhead. Visibility along the parkway had been limited to less than 100 feet, according to officials.
Rescuers managed to use a four-wheel-drive truck for about two miles along Investor Gap road before conditions prohibited further driving.
"From there, they donned snowshoes and traveled on foot to get to the stranded hiker," the Facebook post reads.
The six rescuers located the hiker, who was described as being in "good spirits, despite the long night he just endured and was able to walk out on his own power alongside the team of rescuers."
Officials recommend anyone setting out for a long hike check the weather forecast for the same day and the days ahead.