National headlines were made when a team of rescuers, made up of multiple agencies, found an Ohio man who had been lost in the Red River Gorge for two weeks. Leading the charge was John May, chief of Wolfe County Search and Rescue, who initiated the search for 48-year-old Scott Hern. As the week went on, other units joined in on the search effort. On Saturday afternoon, a member of the Wolfe team heard someone nearby and asked for identification.
As soon as the rescuers heard him utter “Scott,” they swiftly made their way through the thick bushes towards his location. Witnessing this heartfelt scene brought tears to the team members’ eyes. Upon reaching him, one of them introduced himself as Eric from Wolfe County Search and Rescue, assuring him that they were there to rescue him. In response, the stranded man, Mr. Hern, asked for a comforting hug, which was readily given.
According to Sheriff May, a U.S. Forest Service worker spotted Hern in a parking lot close to the Tower Rock trailhead on July 6th. The vehicle remained parked there a week later, prompting the employee to consider leaving a ticket on it. However, upon running the license plate, they discovered that it corresponded to a missing persons report. In the end, more than 50 individuals participated in the search for Scott Hern.
In January, a new team member discovered him. The team’s dedication to training for situations like this was reinforced in many people’s minds because of this incident. The successful outcome of their efforts made it all worthwhile. As one team member stated, “It solidified in a lot of people’s minds why they do what they do.”
According to May, Hern was airlifted out by a Kentucky State Police helicopter due to extreme dehydration and was transported to UK Chandler Hospital. Recently, Hern’s family shared a photograph of him on the Wolfe rescue squad’s Facebook page, where he can be seen sporting a hospital gown and a wide grin.
