This Saturday, May 4 at 6:30 pm we will be offering a “Guided Sunset Hike”. Participants can enjoy watching the sunset on top of Rocky Face Mountain. A park ranger will take participants to the west side of the mountain for some breathtaking views. Bring water and a snack to enjoy while sitting on the rocks, watching the sunset. This is a moderate to strenuous three-mile hike. Please bring a flashlight as it will be dark on the way down the mountain. Participants should wear sturdy, comfortable shoes, and bring water.  We should return around 9:00 pm.

Rocky Face Mountain Recreational Area hosted a state rescue training event on April 16. Members of the North Carolina Helicopter and Aquatic Rescue Team (NCHART) partnered with local agencies for “level 2” mountaintop rescue training. The team gained valuable training experience during the exercise as they simulated rescuing trained volunteers from the cliff at Rocky Face.

NCHART is a highly specialized team consisting of North Carolina Army National Guard and North Carolina State Highway Patrol air assets matched with North Carolina Emergency Management and local emergency services personnel that perform helicopter-based rescues. Local agencies included Alexander County Emergency Services, Alexander County EMS, and Alexander County Rescue Squad.

The volunteer victims attended a training session April 10 to familiarize themselves with the program and to learn the techniques involved in NCHART’s rescue operation. NCHART utilized a UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter to perform the aerial rescues.

Jeff Cardwell, area coordinator for North Carolina Emergency Management, said Rocky Face offers a unique training opportunity for the NCHART crew.

“We appreciate the opportunity to hone our skills at Rocky Face Mountain in Alexander County. Increasingly, we are seeing more mountaintop rescues and this provided quality training for our team,” Cardwell stated. “I appreciate the great working relationship that we have with the NCHART crew and the well-trained staff in Alexander County. I believe that we all worked well together as one team on a single mission of ensuring the safety of our citizens.”

Alexander County Emergency Services Director Russell Greene agreed that the event provided valuable training for local personnel and enhanced safety for citizens.

“This drill was as ‘real world’ as we could make it,” Greene said. “If we ever do have an actual emergency at Rocky Face or any other part of the county, this experience will be extremely helpful and will likely save lives. We are fortunate to have this training exercise here in Alexander County. We are also fortunate to have such a dedicated team of highly-trained volunteers with the Alexander County Rescue Squad who gave of their time to make this rescue drill a success.”

“NCHART One Team, One Mission” examples include: swiftwater/flood rescue, lost persons, severe injuries with projected extended evacuations, and urban/wilderness high angle rescue. NCHART trains on a quarterly basis in these areas to keep its personnel and air crews proficient.