State Park Employees Rescue Two Lost Hikers

First posted on 11-13-2009

Missouri Department of State Parks employees located and helped rescue two hikers who had gotten lost in St. Francois State Park near Bonne Terre Tuesday night.

The two hikers, a 19-year-old female and a 17-year-old female, set out to hike the Pike Run Trail around 3:30 p.m., said St. Francois State Park Superintendent Joe Blum. The two were still on the trail when darkness fell, and with no moon to navigate the rocky terrain by and trees all around, the hikers climbed up a nearby ridge and called the local 911 dispatch center around 5: 15 p.m.

The hikers were returned to the parking lot by members of Big River Fire Protection, Inc., shortly after 8 p.m.

Park staff have to find lost hikers about three times a year, Blum said.

Other agencies that responded to the incident included the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the St. Francois County Ambulance District and the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department.

St. Francois State Park is a 2,734-acre park whose forested ridges and hollows are a popular hiking destination in Southeast Missouri.

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