Rescue teams find hiker who was missing for 2 weeks in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge

SLADE, Ky. (AP) — 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.

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.

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.

The post said Hern was in need of medical attention upon his rescue but no information on his health was available Sunday afternoon.

The search team said there was a sighting of Hern reported on July 13, but that turned out to be unconfirmed.