Charles Hosch had hiked Georgia’s Blood Mountain alone many times. The 67-year-old lawyer lived and worked in Texas, but was a native of Gainesville, Ga., and very familiar with this short, rugged section of the Appalachian Trail.
But when Hosch set out on the 4.3-mile out-and-back trail on Nov. 11, 2025, he never came home. After 10 months of searching without ever finding his body, Hosch’s family held a memorial for him in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday.
“First, a note of gratitude for those who have searched for him already, continue to search, and support the search for him from here at home,” Charles’ daughter, Julia Hosch, said in the live-streamed church service. “We in Charles’ family could not be more grateful.”
It’s increasingly rare for hikers to never be found once they’ve disappeared. It’s likely less than 3% of all hikers who go missing, according to search-and-rescue (SAR) groups interviewed by GearJunkie. More importantly, these veteran rescuers said that Hosch’s case reflects a reality of hiking that’s often misunderstood: Day hikes can be just as dangerous as multiday backpacking trips. In fact, they said that most hikers who get lost on trails are day hikers.
A Normal Day Hike Ends in Mystery
Despite nearly a year of searching, the question of what happened to Charles Hosch remains unanswered.
He was in Gainesville, Ga., tending to his late father’s estate when he decided to drive north to hike Blood Mountain. Already on a tight schedule, Hosch planned to begin driving back to Texas that same day. He needed to return to work at the law firm he co-founded, as well as his wife of 42 years and two daughters.
Hosch embarked on the Byron Herbert Reece Trail with chilly temperatures in the high 30s. After reaching the summit of Blood Mountain, he spoke briefly with two men near the top, who later told authorities that Hosch began heading back down.
He was never seen or heard from again.
And a month later — after many large-scale searches that included family and friends as well as law enforcement and SAR teams — not a trace of Hosch was ever found. Matthew Gibson, an experienced volunteer for SAR teams, was among the many people who searched for Hosch.
Gibson spent 4 months regularly hiking up Blood Mountain to continue looking. For many outside observers of Hosch’s disappearance, it’s hard to understand how he could still be missing. But it makes total sense to a veteran searcher like Gibson.
“You have such a vast area out there. We don’t know where he got off trail. We don’t know what happened. We can’t even say that we’ve 100% searched the entire area,” Gibson told GearJunkie. “For example, there was a two-way radio in an area that was searched for Charles. It was a radio from one of the search teams that they dropped. Four other teams had crossed over that area before without finding it — that shows you how dense the leaf fall is. It shows you how vast the wilderness is.”
GearJunkie reached out to Hosch’s family, but they declined to comment for this story.
The Danger of Day Hikes
For many of us, a multiday backpacking trip into the backcountry is far riskier than a day hike. But the larger problem is actually underestimating the difficulty of a “simple” day hike, according to rescuers.
When hikers know they’re venturing far from civilization (and therefore hospitals), they’re more likely to start the trip prepared with the tools and knowledge to handle an emergency. Many day hikers, on the other hand, tend to underestimate what can happen with a simple mistake, said Chris Boyer, the executive director of the National Association for Search and Rescue.
“There are some experienced day hikers that typically are well prepared,” Boyer told GearJunkie. “However, the majority of day hikers are not experienced with being in the outdoors, or dealing with setbacks like losing their way, or unexpected weather. They go out with the idea of hiking and returning to their car at the trailhead in hours. They are not prepared for an unexpected overnight stranding.
“They have little experience with map and compass or [don’t] let other people know where they are going or when to expect them back. They just cannot imagine a life-or-death situation occurring on a day hike.”
There aren’t many national statistics available about lost hikers. Only a few states produce annual reports specific to SAR teams’ work, which are often run by volunteers. And even those reports don’t track the number of hikers lost on day hikes, specifically. However, a 10-year study of Yosemite National Park — one of the only national parks with a full-time SAR team — found that day hikers accounted for “a large portion of SAR services” in Yosemite Valley.
“It seems reasonable to focus intervention on prevention of commonly identified injury and illness, including lower extremity injuries and dehydration/hypovolemia/hunger through education of day-hikers in YNP,” the report said. “Special attention should be directed toward individuals who inquire about day-hikes near or within Yosemite Valley.”
Tips for Day Hikers
GearJunkie interviewed three veteran rescuers for this story, and all of them reported seeing inadequately prepared day hikers regularly. But there are several simple things that day hikers can do to help prevent a fatal accident while exploring the outdoors. Gibson offered these three tips — none of which require purchasing gear.
- Plan your route
- Let someone know where you’re going, and where your vehicle is parked
- Also, let them know when you plan to be back
Just these simple steps will “narrow the search field from 20,000 acres to 10,000 or even less,” Gibson said. Additionally, he suggests using a mapping app on your smartphone to avoid getting lost.
He suggested CalTopo, which is the choice of many SAR teams. The app costs $20/year to gain access to offline mapping, which can be a lifesaver for those lost in the woods. Another recommendation is FarOut, an app that shows water sources, shelters, and other useful information about hiking trails.
Having a map and compass has long been viewed as an important backup. But having the skills to use them is less realistic for day hikers than simply having an offline map downloaded to their phone.
As for Charles Hosch, it’s likely that he will eventually be found, said Angel Alonzo, another SAR member who spent months looking for him. It could be this year, or 5 years from now, but searchers like Gibson and Alonzo will keep looking.
“Lost hikers in Georgia are rare,” Alonzo said. “I still have three open cases over the last four years. We haven’t found the bodies — but we haven’t given up either.”
