A hiker missing for two weeks without food or water in dense woodlands in the US has been found.
Wolfe County Search & Rescue Team said they were amazed to find Scott Allen Hern alive in a remote area of canyons in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge.
Rescuer Eric Wolterman described how he had shared an emotional hug with the hiker after 14 days lost.
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Wolterman said it was going to be the last day of searching for the hiker, who went missing on July 6.
“I am not a very religious person, but yesterday morning I woke up and said a prayer for Scott Hern and his family,” he said on social media.
“To be honest, praying isn’t something that I do too often. We were working on this operation since Tuesday, and 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 that day. It was going to be the final day of searching whether we located anything or not. We were in the roughest terrain you could imagine and it’s very dangerous for anyone to even be out there.”
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The search and rescue team spent hours walking through the difficult terrain, where they discovered a “few doot prints” in the mud.
After taking a few minutes to stop and regroup, one of the team members heard a “very faint noise”.
”We paused and we shouted ‘Who is that?’ thinking it was another search team. I then heard ‘help’. We took off in the direction,” Wolterman said.
“As we got closer asked what his name was and he ‘Scott Hern’ I have never moved faster up hill in my entire life.”
After telling Hern he was safe, the hiker asked for a hug.
“I got teary-eyed, and gave him a big hug. I think it was the best hug of both of our lives.”
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The search and rescue team described the rescue a “miracle”.
“We were persistent in our search, but hope was fading,” Wolfe County Search & Rescue Team said.
Hern was taken by helicopter to hospital where he remains.
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