Lost college hikers found safe a lesson for others: Wolfe Rescue team
WOLFE COUNTY, Ky. (WTVQ) – The plight of six college students who got lost hiking in the
Wolfe County Search and Rescue via Facebook
Red River Gorge is a good lesson for others planning an outing, according to the Wolfe County Search and Rescue Team that found the hikers and led them to safety on a wet night.
At about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, the rescue agency responded to six college students who had become lost off trail while hiking in the Red River Gorge. The party had been hiking on Rough Trail (#221) when they made a wrong turn onto an unofficial, user generated trail, paralleling Parched Corn Creek, according to the agency.
During the effort to correct their mistake, the group then lost the user generated trail, and
Wolfe County Search and Rescue via Facebook
traveled up a steep drainage, thick with rhododendron and other vegetation. Reaching the subjects was further complicated by a system of cliffs in the drainage, rescuers posted on Facebook.
The agency used LIDAR images — 3-D maps produced from laser generated data of the Earth’s surface — to identify a small gap in the cliff line that the team then used to access the subjects. The lost party and rescue team were back to the safety of the trailhead by 4 a.m. Wednesday, rescuers said.
“We cannot adequately stress the importance of being prepared when visiting wild places. Plan your trip ahead of time and know your route. Bring along navigational tools such as a GPS (or GPS app on your phone) as well as a map and compass. It is also important to learn how to use those tools. Other gear such as warm, dry layers are extremely important, as trips in the backcountry don’t always go as planned and conditions can change quickly. On a positive note, this party had already identified a cliff overhang that they planned to use as an emergency shelter if forced to stay the night,” the experienced rescue team advised others.
“The Ten Essentials” are good place to start when preparing for an adventure. https://www.nps.gov/articles/10essentials.htm
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