Rescued Afton motorist returns home

The stranded motorist rescued Monday from Afton Mountain has returned home.

Two rescue crews riding in massive snow removal tractors and military-issue vehicles diligently slogged their way up Howardsville Turnpike on Monday to rescue Danny Whitley and his dog, Soda Pop, near the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The operation took about three hours and called on multiple fire crews, the Virginia Department of Transportation and Virginia Army National Guard.

Whitley declined to talk Tuesday.

Rescuers encountered 15-foot drifts that would have been impassable without VDOT snow removal vehicles. Authorities have not said how the man got stranded or for how long.