Crews Locate 8 Lost Hikers At McConnells Mill State Park
PORTERSVILLE (KDKA) -- A group of young hikers are safe and sound today after getting lost in the woods at McConnells Mill State Park in Lawrence County. It's an area known for tricky and dangerous trails.
The group of eight people, six young men and two young women, along with a dog went for a hike on Tuesday afternoon. They did not have water or a map.
"Me and my friends decided to go hiking. We started about, maybe five o'clock, and we just wanted to go to go have fun," said one of the rescued hikers. "We went across the little creek to go see the other side, and we just kept walking and we couldn't find a trail until about 7:30 [p.m.], and we just kept walking until we did."
Officials say a worried parent called one of the hikers on a cell phone, and after learning the group had gotten lost, called 911 for help.
"We started at the entrance on the other side by the parking, over in Hell's Hollow; then, we worked our way… we went across the creek. John here thought he saw a cave, so we went and investigated that, no cave; but then we went up and above it and then we came to the trail," said another one of the hikers. "We had a choice to go left or right - left would have taken us to the car; we ended up hiking seven miles this way."
Emergency crews went into the woods around 9 p.m. and came out with the missing hikers around midnight.
No injuries were reported.
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