Missing fisherman emerges from woods along Blue Ridge Parkway, NC rescuers say

A fisherman who vanished in the North Carolina wilderness was discovered a day later on the Blue Ridge Parkway, just hours before dangerous weather settled over the region, according to searchers.

The angler, who was not identified, went missing Saturday, Nov. 8, in the 7,900-acres of “steep, rugged high-elevation ridges” known as the Middle Prong Wilderness.

Haywood County Search and Rescue began searching mountain trails around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, and “pulled out of the wilderness to regroup” around 3:30 a.m. Sunday, officials said.

“Our goal was to make sure the fisherman was found before the temps plummet Sunday evening. ... (Sunday) morning, teams assembled from all over the region to assist in making this happen,” the agency said in a Facebook post

“While in the (Day Two) briefing, the lost fisherman emerged from the forest and was found on the parkway. Outside of being a little cold and hungry from a night spent outside, we are happy to say the fisherman was in good health and spirits.”

Details of what caused him to go missing were not released.

His recovery came just ahead of an arctic front forecast in the mountains, including snow, lows in the teens and wind gusts near 30 mph, the National Weather Service says.

The Middle Prong Wilderness Area’s southern boundary is the Blue Ridge Parkway, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says. It gets its name from hosting the Middle Prong of the Pigeon River, the USDA says.

The wilderness area is about a 150-mile drive west from uptown Charlotte.

This story was originally published November 10, 2025 at 9:56 AM with the headline "Missing fisherman emerges from woods along Blue Ridge Parkway, NC rescuers say."