With the arrival of warmer weather, the thoughts of many are turning once again to finding the Gainesville native who disappeared Nov. 11 while hiking in the northeast Georgia mountains. Charles Hosch, a Texas attorney and adjunct law professor, was planning to stop there for some hiking while on his way back to Texas after visiting friends and relatives in Gainesville.
Just last week, the Appalachian Trail Hikers posted this on social media:
“The Appalachian Trail is starting to get busy again as hiking season picks up, but please remember that a man is still missing on Blood Mountain.
67-year-old Charles Hosch hiked Blood Mountain on November 11 and never returned to his vehicle. Two witnesses reported seeing him descending from the summit, but he has not been seen since.
If you are hiking the Appalachian Trail on Blood Mountain, please stay observant while you are on the trail. Search teams continue to hope that someone may notice an item that could help provide answers.
Please report if you come across any of the following items:
• Leki trekking poles
• Lexus key fob
• iPhone 12 cellphone
Even the smallest piece of information could help bring answers to his family.”
Meanwhile, according to the website devoted to finding the 65-year-old a “large-scale” search is planned next weekend.
“March 11th will mark four months since Charles has been missing on Blood Mountain.
A large-scale professional search operation is planned for March 14th-15th. As spring foliage returns to the mountain, search conditions will become increasingly difficult. Professional search and rescue groups familiar with both Blood Mountain and work in coordination with Union County are encouraged to join the effort.
If your organization is willing to volunteer in the search for Charles, please contact Captain Stephanie Gamble of Knox County Search and Rescue at [email protected].
Charles deserves to be found. Every resource, every searcher, brings us closer to bringing him home.”