WOLFE COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) – An effort to find a missing man ended in what rescuers are describing as a miracle over the weekend.

“I am personally not that religious, but ‘miracle’ is the word that comes to mind,” said David Fifer, an advanced practice paramedic with RedSTAR Wilderness.

On July 6, Scott Allen Hern from Ironton, Ohio, was seen in the Red River Gorge area on his way to see Bell Falls. He wasn’t seen again for 14 days.

“Apparently, he got a little disoriented; he got tired. He tried to take a nap or a sleep under this rock shelter and took a tumble while sleeping and injured himself,” said John May, chief of Wolfe County Search and Rescue.

Hern’s car was ticketed the next day in the park since it didn’t have an overnight parking pass. However, it wasn’t until July 13 when a missing person’s report filed triggered an alert to Wolfe County Search and Rescue.

“That evening, I received a call about 8 o’clock, and once we realized he hadn’t been seen since the 6th and this was now the 13th, we dispatched team members that evening,” May said.

Using things like Hern’s diary, search and rescue teams began the daunting process of searching the rugged terrain, with teams from across the state assisting.

Fifer with RedSTAR Wilderness explained rescuers’ concerns, saying, “When somebody is not found for a couple of days, you do tend to think you are looking for maybe a deceased individual.”

John May even went as far as clarifying that “Finding him alive was a very remote possibility. I had even started to prep the family, saying, ‘I didn’t think this was going to turn out well.’”

However, this weekend, on the final push of the search, their miracle happened.

“It actually began with a report that they were hearing cries for help – that was the first report that came across the radio,” Fifer recalled. “And then when they confirmed it was actually Mr. Hern who they had found. It’s just an amazing feeling”

“Fortunately, he was alert enough to yell out for help,” said May. “They would have not found him most likely where he was at. It was just too thick underneath the cliff line.”

After 14 days in the wilderness, Scott Hern was severely dehydrated but safe. He was immediately taken to a hospital for further care but not before making a request to rescuers.

“One of our team members that got to him first, the first thing Scott said to him is ‘Would you give me a hug?’ Kind of gets you choked up when you hear it cause he had been out there for so long and didn’t think he was going to live, and he just wanted a hug,” said May.

Hern was reported to have only six bottles of water with him and a bag of trail mix, which he finished on July 8, meaning he went 12 days without food and water. As of this report, he is doing well and on his way to recovery.

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The announcement that President Joe Biden will end his reelection bid on Sunday leaves people wondering who will lead the Democratic party this November.

While Biden has endorsed Kamala Harris as his replacement, there’s talk of Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear as a possible vice president nominee, along with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly. 

Here’s what we know about Kentucky Gov. Beshear.

Gov. Andy Beshear: Who is Andy Beshear? What we know about his politics career

Who is Kentucky’s governor?

The 63rd governor in Kentucky is Andy Beshear, according to Kentucky.gov.

Who is Andy Beshear?

Gov. Beshear is a born-and-raised Kentuckian who was elected as a Democratic governor in 2019, according to his official website. Before acting as governor he served as the state’s attorney general, beginning in 2015, and was reelected as governor in November of 2023 after a successful first term.

How old is Andy Beshear?

Gov. Beshear is 46 years old.

What did Andy Beshear do before being governor?

Gov. Beshear was elected as the state’s attorney general in 2015, serving in the role until 2019 before his current role. Beshear was elected as governor in 2019 and reelected in 2023.

Who is Steve Beshear?

Gov. Beshear’s father, Steve Beshear, was Kentucky’s governor from 2007-2015. The Democrat has been married to Jane Beshear since 1969 and was first elected in 2007 before being re-elected in 2011. Steve was an attorney who also served as a state representative in the Kentucky General Assembly, attorney general and lieutenant governor before seeking out the governor seat.

Steve was raised in Dawson Springs in Hopkins County and holds a bachelor’s and a law degree from the University of Kentucky.

Andy and Britainy Beshear

Gov. Beshear has a wife, Britainy, two children, Will and Lila, and a dog named Winnie, according to the politician’s website. The family are frequent visitors of Beargrass Christian Church, where both Beshear and his wife serve as deacons.

Will Andy Beshear run for president? Joe Biden endorses Kamala Harris

▶ Joe Biden endorses Kamala Harris after he drops out of 2024 election: Recap

▶ As President Joe Biden steps aside, is America ready for President Kamala Harris?

Will Andy Beshear run for Vice President?

While Gov. Beshear has kept quiet on his future political aspirations, he’s previously said he would only leave Kentucky’s governorship if he felt like he “could help the commonwealth even more with some other opportunity,” as previously reported by The Courier Journal. Read more at the link below.

▶ Biden out, Beshear in? What Kentucky’s governor is saying about potential run for VP

Is there a term limit for the governor of Kentucky?

In Kentucky, a governor can serve an unlimited number of four-year terms, according to the Library of Congress Research Guides. However, a governor can only run for two consecutive terms, meaning if Gov. Beshear wanted to seek a third reelection, he’d have to wait until 2031 to do so.

Will Biden dropping out of the presidential race impact Kentucky’s ballot?

Learn more from The Courier Journal below.

▶ What happens to Kentucky’s ballot now that Biden is out the presidential race?

Organizers of the annual church fundraiser held in Graves County said in a Friday afternoon email that the governor had said he is not attending the August event and “no reason was given.” 

Fancy Farm organizers added that Republican State Auditor Allison Ball will not attend due to a conflict with a wedding that weekend. 

Both Beshear and Ball attended the political speaking event last year. Over the course of 140 years, the Fancy Farm Picnic has become a Kentucky politics highlight, as candidates for office make a pitch to enthusiastic voters — Republicans on the right and Democrats on the left — who are ready to cheer for their favored politicians while loudly booing their opponents. 

Beshear’s decline to participate comes as he gains national attention. A two-term Democrat in red-state Kentucky, the governor is being eyed as a possible running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris should President Joe Biden drop out of the race, according to recent media reports.

Over the last couple of weeks, Beshear has still signaled support for the president, but was among Democratic governors who attended a White House meeting called after Biden’s poor debate performance against Republican former President Donald Trump. 

Ahead of the meeting, Beshear said in a televised CNN interview that the governors wanted to hear more about how the president is doing and seek clarification on his health. 

Before last year, Beshear had not participated in the picnic since 2019 when he was challenging Republican Gov. Matt Bevin. He did not attend in 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic, nor in 2022, initially because of a trip to Israel which was later canceled after devastating floods hit Eastern Kentucky. Political speeches were canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic. 

As for other Kentucky politicos that could head to West Kentucky, responses from U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, Democratic Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams are still “pending,” organizers say. 

Those attending include both candidates in the 1st Congressional District — incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. James Comer and Democratic challenger Erin Marshall — as well as Chase Oliver, a Libertarian candidate for president. The picnic organizers are still in talks with surrogates from presidential campaigns about a possible appearance. 

Lisa Payne Jones and Jason Shea Fleming, candidates for the Kentucky Court of Appeals, will both attend. 

State-wide officers who will be in attendance are Attorney General Russell Coleman, Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell and Treasurer Mark Metcalf. All are Republicans. 

A proposed constitutional amendment to allow the General Assembly to fund nonpublic schools will also be discussed. Republican Caucus Chair Rep. Suzanne Miles, of Owensboro, and Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Cherlynn Stevenson, of Lexington, are set to speak on Amendment 2. Miles was the primary sponsor of the legislation for the amendment and Stevenson has been critical of it. 

Others set to speak include Mayfield Republican Rep. Richard Heath, Murray Republican Sen. Jason Howell and Kim Holloway, a GOP representative-elect who primaried Heath earlier this year. 

The Fancy Farm Picnic is set for Saturday, Aug. 3, and political speakers will begin at 2 p.m local time. Father Jim Sichko, of Lexington, will be this year’s emcee. 

This article is republished under a Creative Commons license from Kentucky Lantern, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com. Follow Kentucky Lantern on Facebook and Twitter.

McKenna Horsley covers state politics for the Kentucky Lantern. She previously worked for newspapers in Huntington, West Virginia, and Frankfort, Kentucky. She is from northeastern Kentucky.