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Storm damage, rescue of lost hikers leads to closure of Garrett trail

Michael A. SawyersCumberland Times-News

CUMBERLAND — Maryland Forest Service officials decided three weeks ago to close the popular, 17-mile Big Savage Hiking Trail after six lost hikers had to be rescued.

The culprit, according to Steven W. Koehn, director, was tropical storm Sandy that struck Garrett County in October and toppled uncountable trees.

“(This year) some folks from Outward Bound reported that there were obstructions, lots of trees, down across the trail, so much so that they were unable to finish their hike,” Koehn said in an email to the Times-News on Monday.

“Later, a group from the Mountain Club of Maryland tried to hike the trail and they reported the same thing. They were unable to follow the blazes because some of the trees with the blazes on them were down as well.”

Then, last month, six hikers became lost and had to be found and rescued by Maryland Natural Resources Police.

“That was enough for me and, after talking with local staff and folks in the attorney general’s office, we decided to close the trail until we are able to cut through and re-blaze the trees,” Koehn said.

“It will likely be three weeks before we will be able to begin work clearing and re-blazing. There has been interest from volunteers to do the work. However, because of the remoteness and amount of work involved, including chainsaw work, this help has not materialized.”

NRP Sgt. Dave Marple said Monday that the lost hikers called 911 for help after dark.

“A GPS coordinate was obtained from their cell phone signal. Officers Brian Friend and Glenn Broadwater plugged that into their hand-held GPSs,” Marple said.

“They told the hikers to sit tight and it took the officers a couple hours to walk to them. They got there about midnight and everybody walked out about 2 a.m.”

There were no elderly or children in the group and no injuries, according to Marple.

Friend credited the lost group for following directions to stay put so that they could be found. “It’s good that people carry their cell phones and call 911 because we can get a GPS coordinate,” he told the Times-News during a phone interview Monday.

The wet and tired group of hikers was found between a half-mile and a mile off the trail in an area of very thick growth due to recent gypsy moth damage that cleared out the forest canopy and fallen trees from October’s storm, Friend said.

The officers hiked the trail starting at the southwestern terminus just downstream from Savage River Dam. Friend said the going was rough due to the steep terrain and several switchbacks where the trail zigzags back and forth. “It’s easy to get turned around in there,” Friend said.

The lost hikers had started from the opposite direction earlier in the day. They were found using glow sticks and their cell phones as light sources and had wandered down the mountain toward the Allegany/Garrett County line.

Friend provided spare flashlights that he carries in his search and rescue pack to help the hikers negotiate their way out of the woods.

“That was a tough trail to hike even before the storm,” Marple said. “It’s not like walking the (C&O Canal) towpath. We went in a year ago to rescue three guys in their 20s.”

The trail is laid out northeasterly along the Savage Mountain ridgeline and ends near St. John’s Rock not far from Interstate 68.

Agency literature describes the trail as difficult with few reliable drinking water sources.

Contact Michael A. Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com.

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Jay Ferguson

Who I Am My name is Jay Ferguson, and I am a lifelong resident of the Deep Creek Lake area. I am also co-owner of the real estate side of Taylor Made. I have been in the real estate business for 21+ years now and I LOVE what I do! I have to say, my career really took off when I co-founded the real estate side of Taylor Made in 2014. Its been an amazing experience, building a real estate company from the ground up and achieving so much so quickly! In August 2016, we purchased Long & Foster Real Estate Deep Creek, where I had started my career in 2000. In 2018, we on-boarded virtually every agent from Coldwell Banker Deep Creek Realty as they closed up shop and the real estate family grew even more! We now have over 40 sales agents and have expanded to West Virginia and Pennsylvania, as well. Taylor Made is the #1 vacation rental company at Deep Creek with over 475 vacation rental homes, and over one hundred thousand yearly visitors. Its amazing what we have accomplished using the principles of honesty, teamwork and customer service! Personally, my wife Jessica and I enjoy traveling and especially spending time in the outdoors, hiking and exploring the many diverse areas that Garrett County is naturally blessed with. We have raised two wonderful children here, Kayleah (22) and Noah (13). In the summer, we love spending time on the water with friends & family and enjoying the lake life! We are both active in our church, our community & local school activities, and we fill our schedule with plenty of volunteer efforts. I currently serve on the board of directors for Habitat for Humanity. I am proud to say that I was named Deep Creek Time’s Favorite ‘Community Champion’ in 2019. I was also named Garrett County Realtor of the Year in 2018-19, as well. I really enjoy promoting my hometown. I am very proud of the resort area that has developed over my lifetime and look forward to growing the area even more! Deep Creek Lake has been described as ‘The Lake Tahoe of the east', and I think that speaks volumes about the potential to own property here! Deep Creek Lake isn't really a town or city by itself; it's comprised of three towns: Oakland, Swanton & McHenry, Maryland. I am very passionate about my hometown and am impressed with how many people know about it as we travel around the country. Deep Creek Lake is an amazing place to visit and even better place to live! During the pandemic in 2020, our market exploded and more and more people left their primary residence in the city to live here permanently. With distance learning in schools and tele-commuting becoming the ‘norm’, many more people were drawn to the area to ‘live where they love to play’. Why You Want Me Working for You: In addition to being an owner, I am consistently one of the top-producing agents in the entire area and the Associate Broker of record for Taylor-Made Deep Creek Vacations & Sales. I have 21+ years of experience and I am a problem solver. There aren’t many situations that I have not encountered and I have a strategy for almost every scenario that you may encounter. I have extensively trained in all areas of real estate & emerging technologies, and also have trained as an appraiser, as well as served as a full-time Broker. I have a strong knowledge of the industry, as well as many trusted local contacts & affiliations that allow me to perform at a very high level and deliver results. I have a great deal of respect for my peers in this industry and have strong working relationships that I would love to put to work for you. Call me to discuss your situation - I know I can be of great service to you & others you care about! Honesty. Integrity. Results.