Hiker Found Safe After Multi-Day Smoky Mountains Search
Marcin Bachleda-Blaszczak was located in North Carolina outside park boundaries after a search involving rangers, volunteers and partner agencies.
A hiker missing for several days in the Great Smoky Mountains was located safe in North Carolina outside the national park on September 1, the National Park Service announced that afternoon.
Marcin Bachleda-Blaszczak had been the subject of a multi-day search operation that mobilized park rangers, volunteers and multiple partner agencies, the NPS said. The agency thanked members of the public who provided tips and helped spread word of the search.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddles the Tennessee–North Carolina border and draws more than 13 million visitors annually, making it the most visited national park in the United States. Its backcountry trails and rugged terrain regularly challenge hikers, and search-and-rescue operations are a recurring feature of park management.
The park service said the incident remains under investigation and declined to release further details, including where exactly in North Carolina Bachleda-Blaszczak was found, how he became separated from the trail system, or his condition at the time he was located. No timeline was given for when additional information might be made public.
Visitors planning trips to the Smokies are reminded that cell service is limited or absent across much of the park's 522,427 acres. The NPS recommends filing trip plans with friends or family, carrying a map and compass, and preparing for rapid weather changes at higher elevations.
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