A daring climber made it hundreds of feet up the side of a Georgia mountain before reaching a point where he simply could no longer safely climb higher—or get himself back down.
Stranded on a strip of rock barely larger than his feet, Thomas Perry had to carefully pull out his cellphone and call 911 for help.
The call came in shortly after 7 p.m. on Aug. 25 from the west face of Mount Yonah in north Georgia. 10/11 NOW reports that a rescue drone located the climber about 260 feet up the mountain, standing on a ledge measuring only about 20 inches by 20 inches.
Getting him down would require someone else to make the trip. Firefighter Will Roper rappelled from above, reached the climber and secured him in a harness while a rope team prepared to bring them to safety.
A Wrong Turn Left Him With Nowhere to Go
Embedded media follows. Please allow a moment for it to load.
White County Public Safety initially described the man’s actions as free climbing. Outside, which later interviewed Roper, reports that he was attempting an unroped scramble wearing running shoes and carrying a large backpack when he got onto the wrong route.
Mount Yonah is a popular hiking and climbing destination with a steep granite face. Roper told Outside that hikers can scramble up parts of it, but doing so safely requires knowing the route and carrying appropriate gear.
“Most people I see on Yonah are in boots,” said Roper, as reported by Outside. “He seemed to be the least equipped of anyone I’ve seen.”
The climber apparently realized he had gone too far before trying to force his way out. Roper said the man told him he had gotten onto the wrong line and found himself unable to safely climb either up or down.
Calling for help was the right decision, Roper emphasized. He told Outside that attempting to continue from that position carried a serious risk of catastrophic injury or worse.
A Firefighter Went Over the Edge to Get Him
Crews established a rope system above the stranded climber before Roper rappelled down the rock face. Video posted on Aug. 26 by White County Public Safety Facebook page shows him descending toward the ledge and helping the man into a rescue harness.
It was Roper’s first real mountain rescue after years of training. “It was a little nerve-racking going over the edge,” he told FOX 5 Atlanta.
Once Roper reached him, he said the climber was remarkably calm and easy to coach. The two then descended about 250 vertical feet to safer ground, according to Outside.
From the time crews arrived until the rescue was complete, the operation took about 42 minutes, 10/11 NOW reports. The climber made it off the mountain without injuries. Though, according to Inside Edition, Perry did express one concern during his 911 call: “I’m not going on the news or anything, am I?” His reason was, “I don’t want my dad to start worrying about me.“