Ohio man lost for two weeks in Red River Gorge asked for hug when found

The multi-agency team of rescuers searching for an Ohio man lost in the Red River Gorge for two weeks made national news when they found him. John May is chief of Wolfe County Search and Rescue. He said his squad began looking for 48-year-old Scott Hern last Tuesday and was joined by other units as the week went on. May said Saturday afternoon, a member of the Wolfe team heard someone near them and asked who it was.

“And that’s when they heard him say, ‘Scott.’ And that’s when the team members really started tearing up through the brush to get to his location. You know, it was kind of a touching thing. When he got to him, he told him, “My name’s Eric and I’m with Wolfe County Search and Rescue and we’re going to get you out of here,’ and Mr. Hern said, “Would you give me a hug?”

May said a U.S. Forest Service employee saw Hern in a parking lot near the Tower Rock trailhead July 6th. A week later, the vehicle was still parked there, and the employee prepared to leave a ticket on it. When he ran the license plate, it matched a missing persons report. May said eventually, more than 50 people were searching for Scott Hern.

“The gentleman who found him was a new team member; he’s just been on the team since January. So I think it solidified in a lot of people’s minds why they do what they do, why they spend the hours in training getting prepared for things like this, and then when you can execute it and have a successful outcome, it just makes it all worth it.”

May said Hern was extremely dehydrated and airlifted out by a Kentucky State Police helicopter, then flown to UK Chandler Hospital. Monday, his family posted a photo of Hern, wearing a hospital gown and a big smile, on the Wolfe rescue squad’s Facebook page.

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