Police said that one person was transported to the hospital and described the shooting as “accidental.”
Deer Lick Shelters (Photo: jzaccone (CC BY-SA 2.0, photo cropped))
Published July 28, 2026 11:15AM
One person was hospitalized on Monday following an accidental shooting on the Pennsylvania section of the Appalachian Trail, local authorities said.
In a Facebook post, the Washington Township Police Department said it received a call around 6:30 p.m. on July 27 regarding a shooting along the AT, near Rattlesnake Run Road. The incident occurred around mile 1,070 of the trail, 10 miles south of the Deer Lick Shelters.
In emergency radio communications from the time of the incident, reviewed by Backpacker, Franklin County Dispatch described the victim as a 58-year-old male. It said that a child at the scene was attempting to apply a tourniquet.
Police said the shooting was accidental and that the hiker was transported to a local hospital. According to the department, there is no threat to the public; it declined to release further information at this time.
Accidental shootings on the Appalachian Trail are rare, but not unknown. In a page on hunting safety, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) said that in 2002 and 2003, two hikers suffered serious injuries after hunters shot them during deer season, which runs from October through late January in Pennsylvania. Both hunters faced prosecution.
According to The Trek’s 2025 Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker Survey, just 4 respondents, 1.4 percent of the total people surveyed, reported carrying a firearm on the Appalachian Trail. Carrying a firearm poses challenges for thru-hikers. As Liz “Snorkel” Thomas wrote for Backpacker, thru-hikers who choose to arm themselves have to contend with varying state regulations, safe storage challenges, and the fact that firearms are banned in many facilities along the trail.