Rescuers, family and friends searched Friday for a missing
24-year-old hiker in northern Georgia.
Blood Mountain in the Chattahoochee National Forest is a part of the famous Appalachian Trail. I have hiked this trail many times. Evidently, she was on a side trail called Freeman Trail, and as I recall, that trail is extremely isolated. The Blood Mountain portion of the Appalachian Trail is one of the busiest portions of the 2,100 plus mile trail. My prayers and hopes are with her.
Friends said Meredith Emerson went hiking Tuesday with her black Labrador retriever. Her car was found abandoned Wednesday at the base of Blood Mountain, and authorities also found a water bottle and dog leash that belonged to her.
Emerson is an experienced hiker who has a blue belt in martial arts.
Fifteen professional search and rescue teams were searching for Emerson and volunteers were asked to pass out fliers instead of hitting park trails, said Union County investigator Kimberly Verdone. The searchers were combing a 400 square mile area of rugged terrain.
Meanwhile, officials were trying to find Gary Michael Hilton, who was reportedly seen with Emerson several times on New Year's Day. They said Hilton, who is in his 60s, drives a 2000-2001 white Chevy Astro van.
"It's not that, you know, he's a suspect. He is somebody that was last seen talking to her, last seen with her," Verdone said during a morning news conference. She said investigators want to know when he last saw Emerson and what they talked about.
