Kentucky, Bollywood Fever: A missing hiker was miraculously found alive after disappearing in the Kentucky wilderness. Rescuers have now revealed the clues that led them to his location. Scott Hern, 48, was last seen by his family in Ohio on July 4th before he went hiking in the Red River Gorge nearly 100 miles away the next day.
The Wolfe County Search and Rescue Team discovered from Hern’s diary that he had previously visited Bell Falls along Highway 715, prompting crews to revisit the area on Saturday. During their search, approximately two weeks after he was reported missing, rescuers found a shoe print and evidence of a walking stick. A faint noise was then heard, and Hern was located on a steep embankment below a cliff line.
“It is truly a miracle that Mr. Hern was found after 14 days, and 12 days without any food or water. We were persistent in our search, but hope was fading,” the rescue group said. Hern’s family informed the rescue team that he had been visiting the area for the past few months in search of waterfalls, with his diary indicating several locations he planned to visit.
His vehicle was last seen at the Tower Rock Parking area along Highway 715. Teams from Wolfe County Search and Rescue, Powell County Search and Rescue, and Red STAR Wilderness EMS had been searching the rugged environment for two weeks without success.
Rescuers were beginning to lose hope in their treacherous two-week-long search for Hern when they discovered signs of life on Saturday. “We were in the roughest terrain you could imagine, and it’s very dangerous for anyone to even be out there. My team spent hours bushwhacking in our search area,” said rescuer Eric Wolterman.
“We stopped to regroup, and one of the team members heard a very faint noise. We paused and shouted ‘who is that?’ thinking it was another search team. Then we heard ‘help.’ We took off in that direction.”
“As we got closer, we asked what his name was and he replied, ‘Scott Hern.’ I have never moved faster uphill in my entire life. I was the first one to reach him and said, ‘My name is Eric, I’m with Wolfe County Search and Rescue, you are safe, we are going to get you out of here.’ 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. I think it was the best hug of both of our lives.”
Due to his location in the heavy terrain, the Kentucky State Police assisted in a hoist operation. Hern was placed on an orange stretcher and airlifted from the remote location to the University of Kentucky hospital. On Sunday, doctors allowed him to start eating food, although he still cannot walk on his own.
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