Missing man’s yell brings rescuers about to end two-week Kentucky forest search

An Ohio man who went missing for two weeks in a rugged Kentucky forest was rescued just as search efforts for him were nearing their end.

Scott Hern had become lost in the Red River gorge, and the Wolf county volunteer technical rescue team was on the verge of giving up searching for him when it heard him scream for help and finally found him.

As outlined in a series of Facebook posts from the Wolfe team, the 48-year-old Hern had set out in search of waterfalls on 5 July. Entries in a diary left behind by Hern revealed several locations he planned to visit, which turned out to be key clues for his eventual rescuers.

A US forest service officer also contributed to the search for Hern by noticing a truck had been parked in the same spot for a whole week. After running the license plate, it was discovered to belong to Hern, who it turned out had become lost in “a very rugged” area while looking for directions to Sal Branch waterfalls, officials said.

The ensuing search effort involved three crews, including two accompanied by a search dog. The breakthrough came when a five-member rescue team – while traveling up a creek – spotted a shoe print and evidence of a walking stick.

They were examining those clues when they heard a yell for help. They asked the distressed person to provide a name – and it was Hern.

Rescue team member Eric Wolterman said: “I have never moved faster up hill in my entire life.”

Wolterman was the first to greet Hern, who was dehydrated and taking refuge in a rock shelter up against a cliff. Wolterman reported having almost given up hope shortly before the rescuers found him.

“I am not a very religious person, but … I … said a prayer for Scott Hern and his family. To be honest, praying isn’t something that I do too often,” Wolterman said. “Most of the team went into the day pretty much with the thought that this was going to be a recovery mission. So I said a prayer knowing the family would probably be getting some very sad news.”

Wolterman said he and Hern embraced in the “best hug of both of our lives”.

When Hern was found on 20 July, his rescuers realized he had gone 12 of his 14 days missing without any food or water – and he was unable to walk because his feet were so swollen. Kentucky state police hoisted Hern out to safety and took him to be treated at a local hospital.

An update from Hern’s family shared with the Wolfe county rescue team showed him recovering well in the hospital.

Wolfe county search and rescue chief John May told CNN it was “really just a miracle that [Hern] survived” given that he was a relatively inexperienced hiker.

“In a wilderness area for 14 days without food or water, nobody really expected to find him alive like we did,” May said.

Among those to hail the conclusion of Hern’s ordeal was Andy Beshear, Kentucky’s governor.

“What a remarkable outcome from the search for a missing man in Red River Gorge over the weekend!” Beshear wrote on Facebook. The governor also said he and his wife Britainy were “praying for a speedy recovery for Mr Hern” while thanking his rescuers.