Roping in Rescues, Serving Eastern Kentucky

Hikers in Red River Gorge might not realize that one wrong step could plunge them off a 200-foot cliff hidden by the undergrowth.

When accidents like that happen, John May, ’92, and his Wolfe County Search and Rescue Team quickly respond to assist injured hikers, stranded climbers and people trapped by high water who may require the team’s specialized rope work to be saved.

May is chief of this 50-member all-volunteer team and said they receive roughly 90 calls a year with nearly all of their rescues ending successfully. “If they’re alive when we get to them, then generally they go on to survive the accident,” May said.

Since organizing in 2003 with only eight “good-hearted” volunteers, May and his team have rescued more than 1,000 people during their crucial wilderness missions.

May, who majored in industrial technology, said his EKU degree directly helps him do his “day job” with the Licking Valley Rural Electric Cooperative. He noted that his years at EKU gave him a set of skills beyond expertise in his specific discipline. For example, May and his roommate loved hiking and climbing in the 40,000-acre Red River Gorge where May gained valuable experience about the area and its terrain.   

Also, the small-group work in his EKU classes helped May learn the value of teamwork—a vital skill in his search-and-rescue operations.

“EKU reinforced a moral principle that I’d learned from my family, a sense that I need to give back to the community and my region,” he said.

Initially, May and his team received specialized rescue training from the U.S. Forest Service. They continued training on their own, knowing those thousands of extra hours of preparedness could mean the difference between life and death.

Sometimes team members have to lift a fall victim who has been secured in a special rescue basket, plus one or more of their colleagues who are guiding the basket up a nearly vertical cliff. That takes practice. Despite the complex system of ropes and pulleys, it still requires up to six people to lift a 600-pound load.

The Wolfe County Search and Rescue team is funded completely through grants and donations. Recognized as the busiest organization of its kind in the state—responding to lost person incidents and specializing in technical rope rescue in Eastern Kentucky—the team won the national and highly competitive Land Rover Defender Above & Beyond Service Award in 2021. The prize was a desperately needed Land Rover Defender SUV, which the team uses to transport personnel and equipment to the often remote rescue sites.  

“The vehicle has a snorkel, so it’s less likely to flood out,” May says. That feature was invaluable when May’s team responded to what he called “the most harrowing rescue” in his 20-year career. The Defender transported them to the Troublesome Creek area to help rescue victims of the massive flood on July 28, 2022.

They arrived in Breathitt County around dawn. By the end of the day, more than 130 people had been rescued with the assistance of agencies including the Lexington Fire Department and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife. “The volume of water coming down—it was terrifying,” May said.  

Preparing to help in sometimes unpredictable situations, such as these, is what motivates May to continually advance his skillsets. He returned to Eastern’s campus in 2015 to participate in the Leadership Kentucky class. Although already a Wilderness First Responder, May is considering another return to EKU—this time to get his EMS certification.  

Through extensive training and intention, May is among the select few who confidently take on the responsibility of rescuing others. Adventurists can rest assured knowing that May and his team will be around, and well-prepared in the event of an accident in the rugged hills of Eastern Kentucky. 

By Mason Smith