Two hikers and their dog injured on Appalachian Trail, prompting rescue in Virginia

Two stranded hikers and their dog had to be carried off the Appalachian Trail late Sunday, April 3, according to Wintergreen Fire & Rescue in Virginia.

Both hikers were hospitalized, but details of their injuries were not released.

Rescuers were alerted around 2:30 p.m. that two hikers were stuck near the Harpers Creek Shelter, a “challenging” section of the Appalachian Trail near Tyro, Virginia.

“Approximately three hours into the incident the patients were located,” the department said in a news release.

“At approximately 11 pm one patient was loaded in an ambulance for transport to UVA with non-life threatening injuries,” officials said. “The second patient was able to drive himself to hospital. Even the black lab, Bella, needed a little attention for her paw.”

Photos show the hikers were carried in the dark on stretchers, as rescuers kept lights on the trail. The identities of the hikers were not released.

It was one of two rescues the department took part in simultaneously on April 3, with the other involving a hiker stuck along the Blue Ridge Parkway, officials said.

“During this (Harpers Creek Shelter) event, we received a call for an ankle injury near the top of Humpback Rocks,” the department wrote.

“In total, approximately 30 people spent their day in the woods yesterday working on these calls. Our last piece of equipment returned to quarters at approximately 1 am, for a total call duration of nearly 11 hours.”

Additional details of the hiker rescued at Humpback Rocks were not released.

This story was originally published April 5, 2022 at 3:36 PM with the headline "Two hikers and their dog injured on Appalachian Trail, prompting rescue in Virginia."