A respected law professor has gone missing during a hiking trip in North Georgia, sparking an extensive search effort in the area.

Charles Hosch, age 67, was last seen after embarking on the Byron Herbert Reece Trail near Blood Mountain in Union County, Georgia, on November 11.

Hosch, who serves as a professor at Southern Methodist University, is thought to have reached the summit of the mountain, but no further communication or sightings have been reported since.

A statement on his law firm’s website describes Hosch as a “creature of habit,” noting his long history of hiking in the region since his childhood in Gainesville.

“We have confirmed that he was descending from the top of Blood Mountain at the time he was last observed,” the firm revealed in their update.

‘Charles is a creature of habit. We believe that he intended to hike down Blood Mountain but lost his way.’

Since his disappearance, authorities said they have confirmed that the father-of-two spoke with someone at the top of the peak, with K-9 teams also picking up on his scent.

The person who is said to have spoken with Hosch indicated to police they had spoken with the Harvard graduate around 1:30pm on the day he vanished. 

Charles Hosch, 67, disappeared while hiking on the Byron Herbert Reece Trail near Blood Mountain in Union County, Georgia, on November 11

Hosch is 6 feet 1 inch tall, weighs around 200 pounds, and wears glasses 

His daughter, Julia, told the Daily Mail on Monday: ‘The last real concrete fact we are working off is that conversation at the top of trail.’

According to Julia, her father was visiting his brother at the time when he decided to take a hike. 

Julia said that for her father to drop off the radar was out of character, adding that authorities have confirmed his phone is off. 

She described him as being ‘very communicative’, with Julia’s mother raising the alarm after radio silence from her husband.

‘This mountain is very special to him, he spent a lot of time on it as boy scout,’ she added.

Julia said her father works closely with the Eagle Scouts, adding that he is ‘very aware of how to teach survival skills, which gives us hope.’ 

According to Julia, around 95 search and rescue professionals were on the ground scouring the area on Sunday. 

K-9 units are still on the trail also offering tracking and drone operations were deployed.

Search and rescue teams are seen searching the trail area in a picture shared to Hosch’s law firm website

Authorities said they have confirmed that the father-of-two, seen here with his wife Beth, far right, and daughters Julia and Mary Catherine spoke with someone at the top of the peak

According to loved ones, Hosch is 6 feet 1 inch tall, weighs around 200 pounds, and wears glasses. 

He was last seen wearing khaki pants, a camel-colored sweater, and a dark green jacket. 

The Union County Sheriff’s Office asked hunters to check their game cameras on or near the trail in the hopes of locating critical footage of Hosch.  

Anyone who has seen Hosch is urged to call 911 or the Union County Emergency Operations Center at 706-439-6091.