Julia Hosch is searching for any shred of information that might point to the whereabouts of her father, a 67-year-old Gainesville native who went missing in the Blood Mountain wilderness last week, and she’s hoping that someone in Dahlonega and Lumpkin County might be able to provide it.
“People in Dahlonega might have a cousin who has a cousin who went on the trail on Veterans Day,” she said, while talking to The Nugget on Monday afternoon. “And that’s the people I need to reach.”
It was on Tuesday, November 11 that Charles M. Hosch set out on a hike on the Byron Herbert Reece Trail near the Union and Lumpkin County line. It’s believed that he was last seen by a fellow hiker at the top of the mountain later that day at around 1:30 p.m.
But he has not been heard from since.
Soon after he was reported missing, smart phone alerts rang out repeatedly across the region, giving the description of the man who stands about 6 foot tall and was last seen wearing a green jacket, brown shirt and tan pants.
The disappearance has resulted in a sweeping multi-agency search with Lumpkin County Search & Rescue pitching in as Union County Sheriff’s Office takes command of the operation.
“The Lumpkin County Search & Rescue Team is doing a rotation with surrounding counties for the search,” said Sheriff Stacy Jarrard. “And yesterday they had a 10-person group from the search and rescue team go out and deploy to search for the individual.”
Rescuers have been aided by everything from drones to helicopters to scent tracking K-9s as they scour the mountainous terrain at the edge of the county.
On November 14, it was reported that one of those K-9s actually picked up on a definite scent.
“There have been positive canine indications of a place on the trail where Charles likely went, which gives the search team some confirmation that he was on the trail, and his family and friends some new hope for the search tonight and tomorrow,” stated a report from that day.
CRUCIAL CLUES
Meanwhile, Julia has been fielding media inquiries in hopes of spreading the word about her father. And while she’s heard from multiple sources across the country, what she really wants is specific information from people who were in the area that day.
“I need specifically people who were on the trail on Tuesday, November 11, Veterans Day,” said Julia. “And especially the people who have recognized dad from the news and either saw him or talked to him.”
Julia added that any info about trail conditions at that time could help. Photos could be crucial too.
“Even if Dad’s not in them, it tells us what the weather was like,” she said. “…. It tells us what the rocks were like. We think it was icy but we don’t know. So pictures of people’s hikes on that day tell us more about the trail.”
Likewise, the UCSO issued a plea for any hunters in the area to check their trail cams just in case Charles passed in front of one during the last week.
“Your trail camera footage could provide critical information to help bring Charles home,” stated a social media release. “Time is critical. Please share with any hunters you know in the area.”
Charles M. Hosch was no stranger to the Blood Mountain woods. He now lives in Texas where he works as an attorney, but he’s a seventh-generation native of Gainesville. And Julia said he was returning to the wilderness that day to take a little piece of it back with him.
“He brought a shovel and a jar to bring back Georgia dirt to Texas,” she said. “That’s how important this place was to him.”
As the search enters a full week, Julia is holding out hope that her father, an accomplished outdoorsman, will find a way out of the wilderness. Anyone with any bit of information that can help make that happen is encouraged to call the Union County Emergency Operations Center at 706-439-6091.
“We run deep here,” said Julia. “So my dad knows this mountain intimately. He knows the Appalachian Trail and Blue Ridge mountains intimately. He was Eagle Scout certified here. So if anyone is creative enough and has the survival skills to get himself shelter and water on that mountain, it would be dad.”
Check into hoschmorris.com for more info and updates.