6 college students safe after 7-hour search and rescue at Red River Gorge, officials say

Six college students lost in a popular hiking area in Kentucky were rescued early Wednesday with help from 3-D map imaging.

The Wolfe County Search & Rescue Team described the efforts to bring the students to safety from the Red River Gorge as a “long, wet night.”

The students made a wrong turn while hiking a trail at the Gorge and they ended up on “an unofficial, user generated trail,” the rescue team said.

As the group tried to find its way back to the trail, the six students traveled up a steep drainage full of vegetation, according to the rescue team. That made it more complicated for rescuers to find them.

Using LIDAR images, which the rescue team described as “3-D maps produced from laser generated data of the Earth’s surface,” rescuers found a small gap they could use to find the students.

After being notified of the lost hikers at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, the search and rescue team brought them to safety at 4 a.m. Wednesday.

The students found a cliff overhang that they were planning to use as emergency shelter if they were forced to stay through the night, officials said.

“We cannot adequately stress the importance of being prepared when visiting wild places,” the rescue team said. “Plan your trip ahead of time and know your route. Bring along navigational tools such as a GPS 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 back country don’t always go as planned and conditions can change quickly.”

Two people who say they are parents of some of the hikers commented on social media thanking the team.

“As a parent of one of the hikers, I am beyond grateful for the rescue team! Thank you so much!” one woman said.

“I am beyond grateful for the rescue team! Thank you so much!” another parent said.