Hikers, drone helped find missing 18-year-old hiker on Crowders Mountain

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — Gaston County officers and park rangers rescued a missing 18-year-old Thursday from Crowders Mountain State Park, officials said.

The hiker was reported missing on Wednesday. He may have spent the night there because park rangers found his vehicle at the state park, which kicked off an extensive search.

Other hikers heard him screaming for help, which is how police and drones found him. Channel 9′s Ken Lemon spoke to one of the hikers who heard him.

“It’s something your parents raised you to do,” Haskle Good Jr. said. “Just always do the right thing and look out for each other.”

He and a couple of friends hike the mountain every day. He said he and other hikers saw rangers and police searching, and then just a few minutes later--

“About two hills up you can hear somebody yelling, ‘help, water,’” Good said.

Officers said their help dramatically narrowed the search that covered several miles of mountainous terrain. A short time later, a drone located him in a remote area of the mountain, which led to the rescue, officials said. He was found in an area off the path among some trees, very close to a 30 to 40-foot sheer drop.

“Pretty substantial cliff,” said Scott Lambert with the Gaston County Police Department. “Very, very rocky area.”

He said the teen couldn’t get down on his own. That’s where the drone helped most -- crews used it to reach the team and get him to safety.

“Give the ability for EMS to see the drone images to give a patient assessment and a plan for a rescue off the mountain,” Lambert explained.

Good said people who climb the mountain regularly are part of a special community. They try to watch out for each other so that no one in need is stranded.

Getting to the top of the mountain is a climb of over a thousand feet.

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