Hiker missing in S.C. mountains
The Associated Press
Related Content
http://www.greenvillenews.com
WALHALLA, S.C. –A 55-year-old hiker got lost in deep mountain woods in Oconee County while taking what was supposed to be a short walk and hasn’t been seen for more than a day, authorities said.
Mike Shain managed to use his cell phone to call 911 around 7 p.m. Tuesday, telling dispatchers he was lost and thirsty because he hadn’t brought water with him but was otherwise fine, said Andy Brown, who is coordinating the search.
Shain planned to walk just a short distance along the Foothills Trail starting around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, officials said. Searchers have been looking for him since he made the emergency call in a 10-mile area along the North Carolina state line, but no trace of the missing hiker has been found, Brown said.
The trail and surrounding land is so rough in some areas that all-terrain vehicles cannot get through, Brown said.
Searchers also are battling highs that have reached near 100 degrees and snakes, Brown said.
No one has been able to reach Shain by cell phone since he made the 911 call, but that may be because reception in the area is spotty, Brown said.
Rescuers weren’t able to narrow down where Shain might be using his cell phone signal because the only tower identified was repeating the call, authorities said.
Shain is a financial planner. He and his wife, Greenville City Councilwoman Michelle Shain, have two daughters and a son, said Roxanne Cromartie, a spokeswoman for the Greenville United Way, where Mike Shain was a frequent volunteer.
.
