AT Thru-Hiker Drowns in Connecticut River New Hampshire

Authorities recovered the body of a drowning victim from the Connecticut River near Hanover, NH on Friday. The victim has been identified as Joey Harvey, 45, of Prentiss, Mississippi.

Harvey was an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker who actively posted about his hike on TikTok and other social media platforms. He last posted on TikTok on Wednesday from Vermont’s Happy Hill Shelter, one day before the Norwich, VT Police Department received a call of a missing hiker who had been staying at a hostel near Route 5 and the Connecticut River.

Investigation revealed the hiker had been last seen heading toward the Connecticut River on the Vermont side around 7:30 PM on Wednesday, September 7, 2022. Dive teams began searching the river and ultimately located Harvey around 4:40 PM on Friday afternoon. They pronounced him dead on the scene.

Harvey, who went by the trail name “Kanga,” was hiking the Appalachian Trail in honor of his late father. According to social media, he was scattering his father’s ashes in significant spots along the trail, including Mt. Rogers, Virginia, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and Stratton Mountain, Vermont.

At this time, authorities do not consider Harvey’s death suspicious.

Featured image: Joey Harvey.

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