POWELL COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Wolfe and Powell County search and rescue teams made a life-saving rescue Saturday night at the Red River Gorge.
The man was pulled to safety just before 8 p.m. on Saturday as a dangerous storm rolled through the area.
That hiker was lucky to be alive after he fell down an embankment and over a small cliff on the Auxier Ridge Trail.
Officials said the hiker was looking for shelter when the storm swept into the area, and to make matters worse he nearly was hit by a lightning strike.
The rescue crews rigged a high-angle rope line to reach him and were able to pull him up in a harness.
Lisa Johnson with Powell County Search and Rescue says it’s important to remind hikers to be equipped with a cell phone, trail maps, a flashlight and a compass.
The rescued man reportedly is doing well and plans to return to Nashville today.
