LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Wolfe County Search and Rescue Team found a man alive two weeks after he went missing in Red River Gorge, and a new podcast chronicles the rescue mission.
The two-part podcast details the rescue of 48-year-old Scott Hern, described as the most dramatic rescue in the team's 20-year history.
Hern's diary showed he'd been visiting the area over the past few months looking for waterfalls, sending search and rescue crews to the Bell Falls area.
The search group found a shoe print and evidence of a walking stick in the remote area. Then, crews heard someone yell for help and found Hern up a steep embankment below a cliff line.
"He was just super emotional," John May, chief of Wolfe County Search and Rescue, said after the rescue. "Both of them got emotional after that. It was a pretty touching moment I think. I'm sure he thought he was going to die. And the rescuer said 'I'm from Wolfe County Search and Rescue, we're going to get you out of here,' and he said 'give me a hug.'"
Kentucky State Police was able to use a helicopter to hoist Hern up to safety. He needed medical attention as he was extremely dehydrated and had some injuries to his feet.
Officials said Hern fell off a cliff at one point, but amazingly, didn't break any bones. He spent 12 days without food or water.
You can listen to the full rescue on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
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