posing in their hiking gear on the summit of a mountain. When they decided to retire, they still felt the call of the wild and moved to Horse Shoe, North Carolina, a small town near Pisgah National Forest, a place of steep climbs, wild rivers, and a variety of deciduous and coniferous trees. Wildlife was abundant.
Doctors told John that he should cut back on hiking because of the arthritis in his back, but John had other ideas. Hiking was his life. Instead of giving up, he took two years and conquered the Appalachian Trail in successive hikes; each one lasted about a week.
During retirement they hiked two or three times a week in Pisgah Forest, often choosing trails that were too difficult for inexperienced hikers to tackle. They roamed among the four-thousand-foot mountains, which were as colorful as a Claude Monet painting. The couple still enjoyed traveling and kept two full bags packed so they could take off at a momentâs noticeâshould they find a special rate on a trip they couldnât resist.
On October 21, 2007, they decided to go for a hike in Pisgah Forest. They told friends and family and said they would call regularly so everyone would know they were fine. But something terrible happened near the Cradle of Forestry and Pink Beds in Transylvania County, near Brevard, North Carolina. There was a 911 emergency call from their cell phone, and it was abruptly disconnected. The call never reached the emergency dispatch office. No one even knew about the telephone call at the time, because there was no reason for anyone to worry about the Bryants, who were careful and experienced hikers.
And then the newspapers started to pile up in front of their house. Neighbors watched with growing alarm and telephoned Bob Bryant, their son, who lived in Austin, Texas. Bob telephoned his motherâs sister, who usually talked with his mother once a week, and she had not heard from Irene Bryant, either. Bob caught the first flight he could from Austin and broke into his parentsâ locked house. Nothing seemed to be out of place, but the hiking gear was gone. Bob Bryant telephoned the Forsyth County Sheriffâs Office (FCSO) and reported that his parents had not been seen in two weeks.
The sheriffâs deputies found the Bryantsâ vehicle at a trailhead in Pisgah Forest, and a massive search was started. As is standard operating procedure (SOP) today, the area was divided into grids and marked by GPS. Hundreds of trained search-and-rescue people and volunteers combed the trails. Aircraft with spotters and infrared heat sensors streaked across the park looking for live or deceased bodies. Although unlikely, people clung to the hope that the Bryants had merely gotten lost.
That hope vanished on the second day of the search. Deputies discovered that Irene and John Bryantâs ATM card had been used to withdraw three hundred dollars from their account at a Peopleâs Bank ATM at Five Points Drive in Ducktown, Tennessee. The bankâs security camera showed a man in a yellow jacket, with the hood up to obscure his face, making the withdrawal. The jacket had black elbow patches and wide black stripes. Bob Bryant thought that the parka looked like one his father owned.
The unauthorized use of the Bryantsâ ATM card made it clear that this was more than a case of missing hikers. Sheriff David Mahoney assumed foul play and feared for the lives of the elderly couple.
On November 9, 2007, Mahoneyâs misgivings proved to be right. Ireneâs skeletal remains were found beneath a covering of branches and leaves. The remains were forty-six yards from their Ford Escape, on Yellow Gap Road.
Irene Bryant died from blunt trauma to the head and had defensive wounds on her right arm. There were three fractures on the right side of her face, and a massive fracture at the back of her head that crushed the skull. There were several fractures on her right arm, probably received when she tried to protect
Doctors told John that he should cut back on hiking because of the arthritis in his back, but John had other ideas. Hiking was his life. Instead of giving up, he took two years and conquered the Appalachian Trail in successive hikes; each one lasted about a week.
During retirement they hiked two or three times a week in Pisgah Forest, often choosing trails that were too difficult for inexperienced hikers to tackle. They roamed among the four-thousand-foot mountains, which were as colorful as a Claude Monet painting. The couple still enjoyed traveling and kept two full bags packed so they could take off at a momentâs noticeâshould they find a special rate on a trip they couldnât resist.
On October 21, 2007, they decided to go for a hike in Pisgah Forest. They told friends and family and said they would call regularly so everyone would know they were fine. But something terrible happened near the Cradle of Forestry and Pink Beds in Transylvania County, near Brevard, North Carolina. There was a 911 emergency call from their cell phone, and it was abruptly disconnected. The call never reached the emergency dispatch office. No one even knew about the telephone call at the time, because there was no reason for anyone to worry about the Bryants, who were careful and experienced hikers.
And then the newspapers started to pile up in front of their house. Neighbors watched with growing alarm and telephoned Bob Bryant, their son, who lived in Austin, Texas. Bob telephoned his motherâs sister, who usually talked with his mother once a week, and she had not heard from Irene Bryant, either. Bob caught the first flight he could from Austin and broke into his parentsâ locked house. Nothing seemed to be out of place, but the hiking gear was gone. Bob Bryant telephoned the Forsyth County Sheriffâs Office (FCSO) and reported that his parents had not been seen in two weeks.
The sheriffâs deputies found the Bryantsâ vehicle at a trailhead in Pisgah Forest, and a massive search was started. As is standard operating procedure (SOP) today, the area was divided into grids and marked by GPS. Hundreds of trained search-and-rescue people and volunteers combed the trails. Aircraft with spotters and infrared heat sensors streaked across the park looking for live or deceased bodies. Although unlikely, people clung to the hope that the Bryants had merely gotten lost.
That hope vanished on the second day of the search. Deputies discovered that Irene and John Bryantâs ATM card had been used to withdraw three hundred dollars from their account at a Peopleâs Bank ATM at Five Points Drive in Ducktown, Tennessee. The bankâs security camera showed a man in a yellow jacket, with the hood up to obscure his face, making the withdrawal. The jacket had black elbow patches and wide black stripes. Bob Bryant thought that the parka looked like one his father owned.
The unauthorized use of the Bryantsâ ATM card made it clear that this was more than a case of missing hikers. Sheriff David Mahoney assumed foul play and feared for the lives of the elderly couple.
On November 9, 2007, Mahoneyâs misgivings proved to be right. Ireneâs skeletal remains were found beneath a covering of branches and leaves. The remains were forty-six yards from their Ford Escape, on Yellow Gap Road.
Irene Bryant died from blunt trauma to the head and had defensive wounds on her right arm. There were three fractures on the right side of her face, and a massive fracture at the back of her head that crushed the skull. There were several fractures on her right arm, probably received when she tried to protect
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