9 Students Make It Home Safe After Being Lost on Kentucky Hiking Trail
9 students make it home safely after being lost on a Kentucky hiking trail. What began as a whim, a Saturday evening hike to watch the sunset over Kentucky's Red River Gorge, became a frightening night on the mountain for nine college students who suddenly realized they had no idea how to get home.
The students, from Indiana and Chicago, had set out near the Indian Staircase trail to catch the sunset on Aug. 15. But darkness arrived before they reached their destination. Soon, the trail beneath their feet seemed to multiply.
9 Students Get Lost on a Kentucky Hiking Trail
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“We realized we have no clue where we are, trails just kept splitting and splitting,” hiker Caiden Kupsik said.
It was around 9:30 p.m. The students had little water. The unofficial trail wasn't maintained by the U.S. Forest Service, and trying to find their own way down in the dark carried serious risks. Then hiker David Zaronais noticed they were heading toward a cliff, and panic began to set in.
Students Stop and Call 911 for Help
Instead of pushing forward and hoping for the best, they decided to park it and call their parents after calling 911. That decision may have kept a frightening night from becoming something far worse.
The Wolfe County Search & Rescue Team used coordinates sent from the students' phones and then sent them a locator link to pinpoint their exact position. But finding them was only half the battle.
Rescue Team Guides Them Down the Mountain
Getting these teens safely down the Indian Staircase after dark was so dangerous that rescuers established a hand line along the descent. Team members positioned themselves along the route, helping guide the students down through the darkness one careful step at a time.
Around 2 a.m., every student and rescuer finally emerged from the trail. And the miracle was that no one was injured.
“God bless them because without them we probably would have been stuck on that mountain till morning,” Caiden said.
Everyone Makes It Home Safely
The students were so grateful that they offered to donate to the volunteer rescue organization. But rescuers pointed to something important the students had done themselves: they knew when to stop trying to find their own way.
“They recognized they were in trouble, stopped trying to navigate on their own, and called for help,” the Wolfe County Search & Rescue Team shared.
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There is a lesson tucked into those dark Kentucky woods for the rest of us. Sometimes wisdom looks less like knowing the way and more like admitting when we don't. There are moments when the bravest prayer we offer is simply, God, I don't know how to get out of here. Please send someone to find me.
And He is still the God who meets us in the dark.
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3
WATCH: 9 Students Make It Home Safe After Being Lost on Kentucky Hiking Trail
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h/t: People
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/NBC Chicago
Originally published September 15, 2026.
