According to a statement from the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office, Ahiker was discovered dead on the Appalachian Trail on Saturday, close to the Andy Layne Trail. A “preliminary investigation does not indicate foul play is involved.” Three trail runners discovered the hiker facedown on the side of the route. One of the runners, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed that after checking for a pulse and discovering the man was cold to the touch, they dialed 911.
The runner claimed that the hiker, an older white-haired male, had been heading south on the Appalachian Trail and was carrying his bag. An Appalachian Trail hangtag was fastened to the hiker’s backpack. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy issues these hangtags voluntarily to thru-hikers indicating their intention to walk the 2,100-mile trail in its entirety.
The hiker was discovered just before 9 a.m. “in a steep and rugged area of the trail near Lambert’s Meadow Shelter and Andy Layne Trail,” according to a statement released by Lt. David Moyer. The sheriff’s office did not disclose the hiker’s identify. He said that nothing unusual was discovered at the spot.
For day hikers looking to reach Tinker Cliffs, which is a prominent overlook above the Catawba Valley north of Roanoke and part of the so-called Triple Crown, there’s a popular side trail called the Andy Layne Trail. Situated on a less frequented section of the Appalachian Trail, Lamberts Meadow Shelter is a three-sided shelter situated roughly 0.6 miles north of the point where the Andy Layne Trail meets the Appalachian Trail at Scorched Earth Gap.
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