Current:Home > ScamsHiker missing for 2 weeks found alive in Kentucky's Red River Gorge after rescuers hear cry for help: "Truly a miracle" -WealthX
Hiker missing for 2 weeks found alive in Kentucky's Red River Gorge after rescuers hear cry for help: "Truly a miracle"
View
Date:2025-04-16 19:07:14
Rescue teams found a man who had been reported missing more than two weeks ago in the Red River Gorge, a wilderness area full of steep cliffs and jagged terrain in eastern Kentucky. The rescue team called it "truly a miracle" that the hiker survived so long without food or water.
Searchers found 48-year-old Scott A. Hern Saturday afternoon near a cliff line after hearing someone calling for help, according to the Wolfe County Search and Rescue Team, which responds to emergencies in the area. Hern had been hiking in the area to look for waterfalls, his family told searchers.
Hern was hoisted out of the rugged area by helicopter after Wolfe County rescuers contacted Kentucky State Police for assistance. The rescue team posted video and images of the rescue operation on social media.
Search crews began an intense search for Hern, who is from Ohio, early last week, using dogs and drawing on information from a diary Hern wrote in about locations he wanted to explore in the Red River Gorge.
The rescue team wrote in a social media post that Hern's car had been parked at the Gorge since July 6 and family had not seen him since July 5.
Search crews doubled back to an area they had looked at on Saturday and decided to head further north along a creek. They found a shoe print and evidence of a walking stick in an area that is not frequently traveled by hikers, Wolfe County rescue said.
"We were persistent in our search, but hope was fading," the search team wrote.
In a social media post Sunday, rescue team member Eric Wolterman conceded that after not finding Hern after so many days, most the team "went into the day pretty much with the thought that this was going to be a recovery mission."
But when the team stopped to regroup, someone "heard a very faint noise," Wolterman said.
"We paused and we shouted 'who is that?' Thinking it was another search team. I then heard "help." We took off in the direction. As we got closer asked what his name was and he "Scott Hern" I have never moved faster up hill in my entire life," her said.
Wolterman said he was the first one to get to Hern and he reassured the hiker that he was safe.
"He looked at me and said 'thank you so much. Will you give me a hug.' I got teary eyed, and gave him a big hug," Wolterman said. "I think it was the best hug of both of our lives."
The post said Hern was in need of medical attention upon his rescue but no information on his health was available Sunday afternoon.
"It is truly a miracle that Mr. Hern was found after 14 days and 12 days without any food or water," the rescue team said.
As previously reported, we couldn't be happier that Scott was located this afternoon. Part of the search plan was to...
Posted by Wolfe County Search & Rescue Team on Saturday, July 20, 2024
- In:
- Hiker
- Rescue
- Kentucky
- Missing Person
veryGood! (1165)
Related
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- Tesla shares tumble below $150 per share, giving up all gains made over the past year
- Reality TV’s Chrisleys are appealing their bank fraud and tax evasion convictions in federal court
- New report highlights Maui County mayor in botched wildfire response
- Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
- Feds push back against judge and say troubled California prison should be shut down without delay
- Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan Rekindle Romance With Miami Beach Date
- Shapiro says Pennsylvania will move all school standardized testing online in 2026
- South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
- Dickey Betts, Allman Brothers Band guitarist, dies at 80: 'Dickey was larger than life'
Ranking
- This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
- Google fires 28 employees after protest against contract with Israeli government
- High mercury levels in some Lake Maurepas fish bring meal restrictions, state officials say
- 2024 Kentucky Derby: Latest odds, schedule, and how to watch at Churchill Downs
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- Pennsylvania House Dems propose new expulsion rules after remote voting by lawmaker facing a warrant
- Meta’s newest AI model beats some peers. But its amped-up AI agents are confusing Facebook users
- A lab chief’s sentencing for meningitis deaths is postponed, extending grief of victims’ families
Recommendation
Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
Maui's deadly wildfires fueled by lack of preparedness, communication breakdowns
Missouri lawmakers expand private school scholarships backed by tax credits
District attorney says Memphis police officer may have been killed by friendly fire
Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
TikTok ban bill is getting fast-tracked in Congress. Here's what to know.
911 outages reported in 4 states as emergency call services go down temporarily
Here's how much Caitlin Clark will make in the WNBA