2008 Woodie Awards
Abductions shake hiking community
by Kyle P. Anderson
Issue date: 1/28/08 Section: Connections
With the recent recovery of the body of hiker Meredith Emerson, trekking through the woods doesn't seem so safe anymore.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Emerson went missing after going hiking on New Year's Day along a popular path that leads to the Appalachian Trail. The trail was located in Vogel State Park at the base of Blood Mountain in Dawson County, Ga. Emerson told her friends where she was going and when she expected to be back. Emerson hiked alone; however, she took an I.D., appropriate clothes and her dog, Ella, with her.
According to 11Alive.com, at some point during Emerson's hike 61-year-old drifter Gary Michael Hilton approached her. Her dog was found several days later in a dumpster, along with her clothes and I.D. On Jan. 8, her body was found.
Piedmont College is 33 miles from Blood Mountain. The Emerson murder hits close to home for many students. There are many hiking trails near the college, leaving students to question their safety when walking in the woods.
"I always carry a machete and bear spray," says sophomore Alex Edwards about hiking.
While some Piedmont College students are aware of Emerson's abduction, they aren't going to let it bother them or get in the way of them enjoying the outdoors.
"If I think about it, it makes me nervous," says junior Christy House. "But it wouldn't stop me from going camping with my family."
"I don't feel worried because I always take precautions of letting people know where I am and where I'm going," says Piedmont's Outdoor Club president Amanda Poland. "I always hike with another person or a group, and we know who to get in touch with if something goes wrong, such as the forest ranger. I'm not going to let some crazy person ruin my time in the outdoors."
Bill Bryson, author of multiple travel memoirs, writes about the history of the Appalachian Trail in his book A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail. According to Bryson, there have been only nine murders in the trail's history since 1937. Those nine have occurred in the last 22 years.
The woods can be dangerous. However, it's important to keep in mind that dangerous events are rare. It shouldn't be something that keeps people from enjoying the outdoors. What hikers can do is take certain precautions.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Emerson went missing after going hiking on New Year's Day along a popular path that leads to the Appalachian Trail. The trail was located in Vogel State Park at the base of Blood Mountain in Dawson County, Ga. Emerson told her friends where she was going and when she expected to be back. Emerson hiked alone; however, she took an I.D., appropriate clothes and her dog, Ella, with her.
According to 11Alive.com, at some point during Emerson's hike 61-year-old drifter Gary Michael Hilton approached her. Her dog was found several days later in a dumpster, along with her clothes and I.D. On Jan. 8, her body was found.
Piedmont College is 33 miles from Blood Mountain. The Emerson murder hits close to home for many students. There are many hiking trails near the college, leaving students to question their safety when walking in the woods.
"I always carry a machete and bear spray," says sophomore Alex Edwards about hiking.
While some Piedmont College students are aware of Emerson's abduction, they aren't going to let it bother them or get in the way of them enjoying the outdoors.
"If I think about it, it makes me nervous," says junior Christy House. "But it wouldn't stop me from going camping with my family."
"I don't feel worried because I always take precautions of letting people know where I am and where I'm going," says Piedmont's Outdoor Club president Amanda Poland. "I always hike with another person or a group, and we know who to get in touch with if something goes wrong, such as the forest ranger. I'm not going to let some crazy person ruin my time in the outdoors."
Bill Bryson, author of multiple travel memoirs, writes about the history of the Appalachian Trail in his book A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail. According to Bryson, there have been only nine murders in the trail's history since 1937. Those nine have occurred in the last 22 years.
The woods can be dangerous. However, it's important to keep in mind that dangerous events are rare. It shouldn't be something that keeps people from enjoying the outdoors. What hikers can do is take certain precautions.
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