A 73-year-old volunteer at Great Smoky Mountains National Park was found dead over the weekend after she was reported missing while she was out on a hike in the park she dedicated decades of her life to, officials said Monday.
Ann Houghton, of Jackson County, North Carolina, was found at about 1:53 p.m. ET Sunday, the National Park Service said in a release. Houghton was found about a quarter-mile off Enloe Creek Trail on the North Carolina side of the park, which straddles the border with Tennessee.
Houghton was reported missing Saturday after she failed to return from a planned hike in the park from Tuesday to Wednesday. Her vehicle was found at the Smokemont Campground. Search efforts focused on the Bradley Fork, Chasteen Creek, Hughes Ridge and Enloe Creek trails, according to the park service.
Multiple local agencies assisted in the search and emergency response, including Cherokee Fire and Rescue, BUSAR, the Macon Volunteer Fire Department, the Cowee Volunteer Fire Department, the Appalachian Mountain Rescue Team and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the release said.
A longtime volunteer and frequent visitor to the park, Houghton dedicated more than 4,000 hours of service over two decades with “few if any breaks in service since 2004,” the park service said. She was nominated by the park for a George and Helen Hartzog Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service.
“Having served in many different volunteer capacities over the years, Ann quietly draws from first-hand, boots-on-ground experience in interaction with curious visitors and new members of staff,” a statement about her 2022 nomination said. “She has a gift for sharing vital information with children and adults, while giving them space to consider concepts and continue self-guided exploration, but often through a more wide-view, responsible lens.”
The park community mourned the loss of a dedicated member.
“Ann was an enduring and beloved member of our Smokies Community. She was a dedicated volunteer and avid hiker who shared her passion for the park with many visitors,” Charles Sellars, the park’s acting superintendent, said in the statement Monday. “Great Smoky Mountains National Park offers condolences to her family and friends.”
