Missing Hiker, 48, Found Alive After 2 Weeks in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge: ‘It Is Truly a Miracle’

"He looked at me and said, 'Thank you so much. Will you give me a hug?' " a rescuer said upon finding hiker Scott Hern

• Scott Hern, 48, was last heard from on July 5 as he was hiking Kentucky's Red River Gorge in search of waterfalls

• His car had not been moved from the head of the Tower Rock Trail since July 6, Wolfe County Search & Rescue Team said

• On July 20, rescuers found Hern alive, and Kentucky State Police conducted a hoist operation

A hiker who was reported missing in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge since July 6 has been found alive two weeks later, authorities announced.

In a Facebook post shared on Saturday, July 20, the Kentucky-based Wolfe County Search & Rescue Team (WCSAR) said that Scott Hern, 48, was located “but in need of medical attention.”

ABC affiliate WHAS reported that Hern was last heard from on July 5 as he was hiking the gorge in search of waterfalls. Family members said the hiker mapped out some locations that he had wanted to visit in his diary.

Related: Body Found in Search for Hiker Who Continued on the Trail Alone and Then Called Family in Heat Distress

WCSAR previously said that Hern’s car had not been moved from the head of the Tower Rock Trail since July 6, via the Louisville Courier Journal.

The rescue organization posted another update on July 20, saying that the search for Hern expanded to areas that had not been previously examined.

“We learned from [Hern’s] diary that he had visited Bell Falls along Highway 715,” WCSAR wrote. “Although the falls had been previously checked and even some areas above the falls, the decision was made to continue north up the creek to clear the area completely. The search group found a shoe print and evidence of a walking stick in an area that few travel.”

The WCSAR post continued: “They continued pushing up the creek when they heard someone yell for help. The five-person team then worked for some time to locate Scott up a steep embankment below a cliff line. His location and extraction point are identified on the map with the helicopter. Red Star Wilderness EMS along with WCSAR members proceeded to this location to provide care.”

WCSAR added that the Kentucky State Police conducted a hoist operation because of Hern’s location in the heavy terrain and to get him care.

“It is truly a miracle that Mr. Hern was found after 14 days and 12 days without any food or water. We were persistent in our search, but hope was fading,” WCSAR wrote.

Related: 19-Year-Old Hiker Missing for 2 Days Rescued from Glacier National Park

John May, chief of WCSAR, said via the Ironton Journal that Hern's chances of survival were dim after two weeks: “If you look at the timeline, the last time he was seen or heard of was on July 6 and his vehicle had not been moved and as the days ticked by, hope of finding him alive was fading. Saturday [July 20] was our big push, if we hadn’t found him, we would have been scaling our operations back.”

Eric Wolterman, a WCSAR team member who was first on the scene with Hern, wrote on Facebook on Sunday, July 21, that he and the team had been working on the search operation since July 16 and initially assumed by that point it was going to be a “recovery mission.

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”So I said a prayer knowing the family [of Hern] would probably be getting some very sad news that day,” Wolterman said.

Wolterman recalled the team struggling up a creek Saturday when they found footprints in the mud.

Related: Body of 23-Year-Old Missing Hiker Found on Mills Glacier, Colo., 4 Days After Going Missing

“One of the people on the team heard a very faint noise,” he added. “We paused and we shouted 'who is that?' Thinking it was another search team. I then heard 'help.' We took off in the direction. As we got closer asked what his name was and he [said] 'Scott Hern' I have never moved faster up hill in my entire life.”

Wolterman later wrote about approaching Hern first and telling the stranded hiker that he was safe and going to be rescued. “He looked at me and said, 'Thank you so much. Will you give me a hug?' " Wolterman wrote. "I got teary eyed, and gave him a big hug.  I think it was the best hug of both of our lives.”

PEOPLE reached out to the WCSAR on July 22 for an update on Hern’s condition. 

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