Tuesday night, April 22nd 2025 at 9:30 p.m., WCSART received a 911 call regarding a family of three, including a small child that were lost in the RRG area. The family had alerted an Apple Dispatch Center by using the SOS messaging feature on their iPhone. A set of coordinates were provided by Apple that showed the group approximately 2.5 miles from the Bison Way Trail Head, along the Northern section of the Sheltowee Trace. A hasty team was dispatched to the area and quickly located the family. They were cold, but otherwise uninjured.
The group had hiked the Tower Rock Trail earlier in the day. After completing this hike, they ventured onto the Osborne Bend Loop, not fully realizing how long of a hike they were now on. From Osborne Bend, they jumped over to the Sheltowee, off Lost Branch Trail and then ran out of daylight.
This is the second call, over the past couple of weeks, where hikers have used the SOS messaging feature. If you carry an iPhone, we strongly encourage you to learn how to use this life saving tool.
