Nine young men are safe after getting lost and eventually being rescued while hiking in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge over the weekend. They had traveled from northwest Indiana looking for a quick getaway after severe storms hit their area. Members of the search-and-rescue team who helped save the friends say the area is extremely treacherous and potentially dangerous even in daylight and perfect conditions. The incident happened Saturday night as a storm moved in. The friends, looking to get away from storms, found themselves stranded in the dark, surrounded by steep cliffs and unsure which way to turn.
“We shined our flashlights, and it just looked like a straight drop, like a straight cliff and at that point we were pretty scared,” said Zach Salus. “Most of us, I think, were scared we were going to be stranded,” said Michael Zaronias. The friends say trying to find their way back was quickly disorienting. They didn’t have any survival supplies, no food or water and at first say there were some disagreements on what to do next. “Kind of a lot of differing opinions. People wanting to leave, people wanting to stay, people wanting to go another way,” Zaronias said. “It was very easy for one of us to either split up or even fall,” said Zach Salus.
They ultimately called for help around 9:30 p.m. The Wolfe County Search and Rescue team was able to find the stranded hikers using their coordinates near the Indian staircase in the Red River Gorge. They managed to exit the trail around 2 a.m. Sunday. “We really commend them for doing the right thing, because it could have been a completely different story, and that is not even an official trail there,” said Kevin Osborn with the Wolfe County Search and Rescue team. He says with bad weather moving in and the rugged terrain, a 30-foot line was used to get all nine guys down safely. “It’s a really, really beautiful place, and after dark, it can also be a very dangerous place, because of all the cliffs,” Osborn said.
“One of the happiest groups of people we’ve, I think, that I’ve ever seen that we’ve rescued.” “The people who rescued us were … they were beautiful souls, like, they were super nice. They definitely calmed our nerves a lot,” said Caiden Kupsik. The whole ordeal lasted about four and a half hours from the time the guys called for help to when they were rescued. To avoid similar situations, it is advised to download maps, bring flashlights, pack water and food and call for help right away if you do get lost.
An 18-year-old man accused of telling an FBI informant he planned to carry out an attack later this month at Mall of America was arrested at gunpoint Tuesday in Richfield, Minnesota, during an…
The US military is moving directed-energy weapons from demonstrations towards operational testing at American bases, selecting four systems for a new homeland counter-drone pilot. The Pentagon said the weapons chosen are AeroVironment’s Palletized…
With sweltering heat still lingering over Southern California, many social media users have started capturing an adorable phenomenon sweeping across the region’s squirrel population — splooting. Splooting, also called pancaking, is when a…
Three years to the minute after the start of the deadliest single day in Israel’s history, the country marked the somber occasion with a series of ceremonies, memorials and protests at more than…
Russian authorities have sought to allay global worries over the death of a young woman who worked at a Siberian anti-plague laboratory. But moves to isolate her contacts and introduce new disease-control measures…
Georgia is giving truckers and farmers more time and flexibility as high fuel costs continue to strain their budgets. Gov. Brian Kemp has extended the state’s motor fuel tax suspension through Nov. 5…
Premature twin baby girls are separated, hospitalized in two different neonatal intensive care units in Boston. The parents, from Canton, Massachusetts, say they know the babies are getting the vital care they need,…
Real love protects the innocent, refusing to ignore harm, standing for truth, and courageously defending the innocent from anything that would celebrate wrongdoing or threaten their God-given dignity and safety. “Love does not…
What if the way you live today could either strengthen someone’s faith, or quietly destroy it? But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be…
The FBI arrested a suspected Chinese agent at Los Angeles International Airport after she allegedly surveilled the Taiwanese president’s U.S.-based son, law enforcement sources told CBS News. Wanying “Heather” Zhang, an Irvine, California,…
When life feels like you’re walking into the battle alone, remember this: you never take a single step without God beside you, His strength goes before you, His presence walks with you, and…
Not every message that sounds Christian is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When the world pressures us to change God’s truth to make it more acceptable, we must remember that faithfulness to Christ…
Skyler King has completed his 1,200-mile journey from Oxford to New York City on a skateboard. He left Oxford on Aug. 1 and arrived in NYC on Sept. 12. King made the trip…
Since 1977, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has led one of the biggest rescue and rehabilitation wildlife operations in East Africa. Although they specialize in elephant care, their sanctuaries are home to a variety…
‘She Was Calm’: Neighbour Shares How flydubai Pilot’s Wife Reacted To CrisisWhile Captain Smit Machchhar recovers from the attack, his wife’s calm response to neighbours’ messages has highlighted the strength of families who…
Talk less, listen more, because wisdom speaks after it understands, not before. If you want stronger relationships and real influence, master this: control your tongue, calm your anger, and lead with quiet strength.…
Recent reporting (roughly September 25–October 2, 2026) on Christian persecution centers on continued lethal violence in Nigeria, house-church detentions in China, and related pressures elsewhere. Nigeria Attacks attributed to Fulani militants continued in…
California has officially banned child marriage, with Governor Gavin Newsom signing legislation to end the practice that is still legal in 32 US states. The new law, which will come into effect on…
The Texas Department of Public Safety arrested a Bexar County man Wednesday in connection with the threat of a “violent attack” on the Texas Capitol. He has since been charged federally with possessing…
You are in a spiritual battle, whether you recognize it or not. God has not left you defenseless, He has given you everything you need to stand firm. “Finally, be strong in the…
SpaceX launched the company’s Super Heavy-Starship on its first flight to orbit Monday — an abbreviated three-hour mission that marked a major step toward perfecting the world’s most powerful rocket for commercial flights…
Using a donated Hubble-class mirror originally built for a spy satellite, NASA’s Roman Space Telescope launched Sunday on a $4.3 billion mission to open a new window on the universe, taking wide-angle, ultra-sharp…
When Alicia Edmund heard the Parliament vote count for the UK’s assisted dying bill last week—286 noes to 270 ayes—her immediate reaction was shock. The bill had been defeated. As head of…
The United States has confirmed for the first time that it has deployed weapons in space, prompting separate warnings from China and Russia. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told the Air and Space…
NASA is working with Boeing to launch an unpiloted Starliner capsule in the December-to-January time frame to test upgrades and improvements ordered in the wake of a 2024 mission that suffered multiple propulsion…
President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have criticized British counterterror police’s handling of a possible plot targeting a U.K. air base used by U.S. forces, with Rubio calling it a “very…
A FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Israel was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a violent attempt by one of the pilots to seize control of the…
Storms often reveal what we truly believe about God’s presence and power. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?” Mark 4:40 Focus:When the…
A routine trip to a Lewisville ATM could have changed one man’s financial life a bit. Instead, it revealed something rich about his character. Lewisville police say a 37-year-old man found a bag…
“God loved you enough to send His Son, Jesus loved you enough to give His life, and through faith, you are offered a hope this world can never take away.” “For God so loved the…
You must be logged in to post a comment.