NEED TO KNOW
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A fisherman was reported missing in the Middle Prong Wilderness on Nov. 8, according to rescue officials
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The man emerged from the forest the morning after he disappeared, officials added
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The man was found just hours before temperatures in the mountains began to drop below freezing
A missing fisherman has been found safe after spending a night in the North Carolina wilderness.
Haywood County Search and Rescue said in a post on Facebook that its team was “called out in response to a lost fisherman in the Middle Prong Wilderness” around 5:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, Nov. 8.
The goal, according to officials, was to find the fisherman before the evening of Sunday, Nov. 9, when temperatures were expected to plummet.
At about 3:30 a.m. the next morning, “teams pulled out of the wilderness to regroup and rest for a few hours” before a much larger multi-agency team was assembled.
Haywood County Search & Rescue/Facebook
During a briefing that same morning, officials said “the lost fisherman emerged from the forest” and was found on Blue Ridge Parkway.
Officials said “the fisherman was in good health and spirits” when he was found, though he was “a little cold and hungry” after spending the night outside.
The man was found just hours before temperatures in the mountains began to drop below freezing due to what the National Weather Service described as an “unseasonably cold airmass.”
“Thank you to all the supporting agencies for showing up to help when Haywood County called!” said officials with the search and rescue team.
Haywood County Search & Rescue/Facebook
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They also said, “Remember, if you are farther from your home or vehicle than you can crawl, always be prepared with the essentials needed to spend a night outside.”
The Middle Prong Wilderness is 7,900 acres of “steep, rugged high-elevation ridges ranging from 3,200 to over 6,400 feet,” according to the U.S. Forest Service’s website.
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