Sad news out of the North Carolina side of Blue Ridge Parkway where a hiker passed away on Sunday, November 24.
According to a press release from the parkway, the Blue Ridge Parkway Communications Center received a report of a missing hiker at approximately 5:35 p.m.. The hiker had gone missing on the Price Lake Trail near milepost 296.
Parkway Law Enforcement rangers responded alongside the Blowing Rock Fire Department, meeting the hiker’s companion on the scene. The companion had left 70-year-old Freddie Morgan, Jr. in an attempt to seek assistance, concerned for his health. When law enforcement found the man, he had sadly passed due to a medical emergency shortly after 6:00pm.
The Prince Lake Trail is a more accessible trail for many, being both level and wheelchair accessible as it works its way around the lake and to the Boone Fork Creek.
No other information has been made available by the parkway at this time. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased at this time.