Hiking the Appalachian Trail: A Murder on Blood Mountain
- Amy Flack
- Feb 24, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: May 13, 2024
Blood Mountain is Georgia’s sixth highest mountain and the highest peak on the Appalachian Trail within the Georgia section of the trail. The prominence of Blood Mountain is 1,480 feet. For those that are unsure what is meant by prominence, it refers to the elevation of a summit relative to its surrounding terrain. The elevation (or highest point above sea level) for the mountain is 4,480 feet. Can you imagine hiking a mountain, reaching the summit, and being 4,480 feet above sea level? No, I couldn’t have imagined it either until I finally made the commitment to do the climb.
Just where did the name Blood Mountain originate from? One theory is that there was a bloody battle between the Cherokee and Muskogee Native Americans, hence the name. The second theory stems from the reddish color of the lichen and Catawba rhododendron growing near the summit.
Blood Mountain offers the ultimate experience for any level of hiker. The stunning views will take your breath away. The history of the mountain will send chills up your spine. The hike up the side of the mountain itself will challenge your mental abilities as well as test your physical limits. Yet when the climb is done, and you've reached the summit, none of that will matter. It will have all been worth it. Whatever you had to do, however you had to push through will be a testament to your determination.
The mountain taught me many things along the way. Here are a few of those things.
This Mountain has some history…..serial killer history
Although Blood Mountain, had been a goal of mine to climb since watching the Hulu true crime docuseries Wild Crime: Blood Mountain (as morbid as that sounds), there was something vital I didn’t realize going into my hike the morning of January 1st.
As we prepared to start our hike (and the new year on the right footing), we noticed there were several folks walking about carrying bouquets of flowers to be laid to rest by a small, hand-built shrine close to the Byron H. Reece Parking Lot and entrance to the trail. And even though I knew who the flowers were for, I didn’t fully realize their significance until I overheard one of the employees at the Mountain Crossings Store talking to another customer about the tragic event that took place on Blood Mountain many years prior. A young, 24-year-old woman, Meredith Emerson, who was an avid outdoorsman and hiker, was abducted and ultimately killed while hiking on Blood Mountain. I knew about the tragedy from the Hulu special, however, I apparently didn’t pay attention to the timeline of events.
Meredith made the decision to go for a hike along the Freeman Trail with her dog, Ella, on January 1st, 2008 (hence the significance of the date), but was reported missing the next day when she didn’t return home and had not been heard from. She was last seen by several witnesses on the Spur Trail which connects the Appalachian Trail with the Byron Herbert Reece Parking Lot prior to her abduction. Meredith’s dog, Ella, would be found three days after they went hiking, approximately 60 miles away in Cumming, Georgia, yet Meredith herself was still considered missing.
On the same day that Ella, Meredith’s dog was found, Gary Michael Hilton, was also discovered at a local gas station, cleaning out his van. A passerby recognized Hilton as the person of interest in Meredith’s disappearance and called in a tip to the Dekalb County police regarding his whereabouts. On January 4, 2008, officers quickly descended on Hilton before he could bleach away any and all the evidence. DNA testing of blood stains found in his van led to Hilton’s arrest once confirmation was received that the blood was in fact a match to Meredith.
The likelihood that Meredith’s remains would be found through a search was slim to none. So in order to recover Meredith’s body, the state’s prosecution agreed to remove the death penalty from consideration if Hilton showed investigators where to find her body. Hilton had mentioned that he asked her for her debit card PIN number but Meredith refused to give it to him. As a result, he kept her captive for four days before finally killing her, yet he was unable to bring himself to kill her dog.
Hilton did lead investigators to Meredith’s body so that her remains could be recovered. He pled guilty to her murder on January 30, 2008, and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 30 years. Meredith was not Hilton's only victim but she was the only one he killed on Blood Mountain.
I can only imagine the hell that their family and friends went through but I am grateful that Hilton was convicted quickly and that they were able to get some closure.
This is not just a moderate hike; it borders on overly strenuous
If you’ve ever hiked Blood Mountain, then you know it’s not a quick hike up and back down the mountain. Nor is it a small mountain by any means. So if you are a newb to hiking, this is definitely NOT the one you want to take on for your first hike. Or maybe, if you're anything like me, you're crazy enough to give it a go.
As I mentioned in my post: Day Hiking for Beginners….. Top 7 Things I Wish I had Known Before I Started Hiking, it’s very important to do your research before going for a hike. Let’s look at some of the things you need to take into consideration. What time of day are you getting started? What is the terrain like? How about the weather? And how long does the hike typically take to complete? If you were to ask one of the staff at the Mountain Crossings Store who has hiked the mountain regularly, he would tell you it takes approximately two and a half hours to climb, summit, and then descend back down. Keep in mind, this is an avid hiker who has climbed this mountain a hundred times more than likely. But for the every day, semi-experienced to not experienced at all hiker, this will certainly not be the case. Make allowances based on your skill and fitness levels and buffer in extra time as necessary. The earlier in the day, you start your hike is usually for the best. Especially if that hike is Blood Mountain. I would not want to climb down that mountain as the sun is setting or after dark.
Several hiking books describe Blood Mountain as a moderate hike. This is not a moderate hike. Let me stress that again, this is NOT a moderate hike. If there was a category beyond strenuous, I would argue that it aligns more with that. Maybe insanely strenuous would be a better fit in this case. The distance to the top wouldn’t actually be that far if the trail itself didn’t zig-zag back and forth up the side of the mountain. I have found this to be true of most mountain and waterfall hikes for that matter.
This particular trail has a pretty rough terrain through most of the hike. I was not aware of just how rough it would become. Thankfully, we started our hike early enough in the day that we were able to complete the entire thing. The trail itself began as a wide, very flat path with compacted dirt, that even had us hopping from rock to rock to make it across a small creek. About 20 minutes into the hike, it quickly became challenging. The flat surface became very rocky for most of the climb. In some parts, the rocks were covered in ice, making them very slippery and dangerous. One wrong step could mean a sprained ankle, skinned knees, or worse.
The rocky stair steps changed in some places to wet mud from the water runoff and melting snow. Other parts had us climbing over large tree roots and under the foliage that was shaped like a tunnel. Once we made it through the tree tunnel, it opened back up to a slick, flat rock section that required gentle consideration and slow steady steps. Many hikers were perched on the rock to soak up the sun’s rays and the heart-stopping view. This was by far my favorite section of the mountain. We spent some time here taking pictures and videos of the lush mountain range before carrying on to the top.
I recall several folks just starting the hike or only being about a third of the way up when we were almost back to the parking lot in the late afternoon. One couple asked if they were almost to the top of the trail and rather than give them a false sense of hope, I was honest, maybe a little too honest judging by the looks on their faces. I told them they still had a long way to go and that the path was very difficult, but to stick it out because the views were well worth the journey.
Reaching the summit will be empowering for you
Hiking any mountain, especially one such as Blood Mountain can seem overwhelming, daunting, and exhilarating all at the same time. There will be times you want to give up, to quit, to turn around before you reach the top. I’m here to tell you, don’t do it. Don’t give up and don’t turn back (unless you are physically unable to finish or you’re hurt). Speaking from personal experience, I think there were at least a dozen times I stopped and thought, this is taking forever and this is the worst trail EVER. I wanted to quit and I almost did several times but then I stopped for a break, took a deep breath, and then another. As I looked at my surroundings, I observed the difficult path still in front of me. But when I looked behind me, I realized how far I had actually come and it inspired me to keep going. Knowing I had managed to make it through some of the most difficult parts of the hike already gave me the strength to push through and achieve the goal I had set for myself. My goal had been to climb at least one mountain on the Appalachian trail during this particular trip and I needed to see it through.
Of course the view from the top promises to be amazing. But it’s about more than getting to the top and snapping a few selfies to document you were there. The view is in fact breathtaking and there are several stops along the trail that might, quite arguably, be better photo ops than the actual summit.
Beyond the obligatory selfies that accompany such a milestone is something more. There is such a sense of empowerment from setting a goal, a difficult goal, and then working hard to achieve it. The overwhelming sense of accomplishment you feel when you reach the top or hit your goal is enough to take your breath away. I know it did for me. I was in amazement that I was even able to make it up the rocky path and reach the summit with my broken body. I took my time and stayed on the top of Blood Mountain, admiring the awe-inspiring views, the last remnants of snow on the ground, the stone shelter built for hikers passing through, and the other souls that made the trek up the mountainside and were taking in their surroundings alongside me.
I encourage you to set a goal, make sure it’s achievable, and work hard to accomplish it. Be sure to give yourself a deadline for completion. Write it down and place it somewhere you will see it regularly as a reminder to reach for the end game. If you don’t do it in the timeframe you originally set, don’t give up. Stop and reassess, evaluate why there was a delay, what you need to do to get back on track, and then make adjustments as necessary. But never give up. Always strive for greatness!
What goals have you set that you struggled with but ultimately completed? What challenges did you have? What kept you motivated to continue when you wanted to give up? How did you succeed?
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