GASTON COUNTY, N.C. (AP) — A man is recovering after falling nearly 50 feet from Crowders Mountain.

Authorities say the man was rappelling off the side of the mountain at around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday when he hit his head.

Emergency management officials say it was hard to get to the 37-year-old man because he was suspended by his climbing rope.

Travis Adams with Gaston County EMS says the man was dangling from the side of the mountain when rescue crews arrived. It took rescuers an hour to get to him and get him down the mountain.

The man's name and condition have not been released.