Just a quick primer on the path profiles...
This is an example of signal that is way beyond the radio horizon (thanks to terrain), so all the signal is waaay overhead. The only time this could be received is if there is enhanced scattering due to tropospheric effects.
This is an example of terrain shielding, where the person would have had a clear path to the transmitter save for one nasty little peak. Note how the propagation models show how UHF signals scatter over obstructions (not well.)
This is an example of how the models treat VHF signal scatter (much better.)
Side note - these are from northern West Virginia. You can see why that market stuck with VHF for the most part.