DAWSON COUNTY, Ga. — (ed. note: The video appearing above this story relates to a separate story from July.)
A lost hiker was found with the help of a K-9 officer in Dawson County Thursday, bringing a relieving end to a night in the woods for the missing man.
The Dawson County Sheriff's Office reported the man was hiking Wednesday evening in Amicalola Falls State Park along the Hike Inn Trail when he got lost about a mile from the main road.
According to the sheriff's office, the man's phone died and he ran out of water as a search team unsuccessfully sought to find him late into the night.
Thursday morning, K-9 Bella from the Hall County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to aid the search after deputies recovered some of the hiker's items.
The K-9 was able to lead them to the hiker, who was "laid down 200-300 yards off the main trail," the Dawson County Sheriff's Office said
"We were never so excited to find our missing person alive and well, looking forward to our arrival," the sheriff's office wrote on Facebook. "This truly remarkable teamwork led to the most positive outcome possible."
They did not provide details of the man's condition after spending the night in the woods, but photos appeared to show him making his way out of the woods with deputies under his own power.
The sheriff's office credited the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Georgia Department of Public Safety, Dawson County Fire & Emergency Services and the Hall County Sheriff's Office for their help in the search.
"We’d like to recognize the incredible work of Deputy Gearin who spotted the items well off the trail and the prompt assistance of the Hall County K-9 Team, which possibly saved this man’s life," the sheriff's office wrote. "We’d also like to thank every agency and individual who came out and helped make this search and rescue a huge success."
In February another hiker who went missing along the same trail was tragically found dead after a days-long search.
Dawson County Emergency Management Director Danny Thompson warned then that it's important to be fully prepared to hike the trail.
"Be prepared, be careful, have enough resources, communicate with your family, know how to use GPS coordinates," he said. "Those things are all critical because the terrain here is not forgiving. Mother Nature is not forgiving."
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