Fontana Dam – The Graham County 911 Center received a cell phone call from a female hiker on the Appalachian Trail, requesting assistance just after 3 p.m., Monday.
Elayna Simmons, 28 of Cincinnati, Ohio, was hiking alone when she became ill almost five miles in on the trail from Fontana Dam.
Simmons, a thru hiker, had left the southern trail terminus at Springer Mountain, Georgia on March 14 and had hiked almost 15 miles Monday when she called for help. She first thought she was having a panic attack, but then began vomiting and reportedly was very weak.
Graham County Rescue Squad members Brent Eller and Hamilton Boxberger reached Simmons shortly after 5 p.m. At the time, Simmons was able to walk on her own for a short distance before becoming ill again and going down.
When it was clear that more assistance was going to be needed to get her out of the woods, a large number of additional personnel from local rescue squads, U.S. Forest Service, and N.C. Forest Service responded.
A basket stretcher was used to transport Simmons the final distance to where the Appalachian Trail crosses N.C. 28, arriving at 11:50 p.m.