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Friends Left Note on Hiker's Car in Case He Didn't Return from Waterfall. He Was Found Trapped 2 Days Later
Ryan Wardwell wanted to rappel down the Seven Teacups waterfalls alone after his friends turned back
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A 46-year-old man was rescued by helicopter after he was trapped behind a waterfall for two days in the Sequoia National Forest on Aug. 12
He was treated for minor injuries and dehydration
"He didn't know if he was ever going to get out of there," a rescuer said
A missing 46-year-old California man was found safe, but dehydrated, after he was trapped for two days behind a raging waterfall in the Sequoia National Forest, authorities said.
On Sunday, Aug. 10, Ryan Wardwell planned to rappel the Seven Teacups waterfalls near the North Fork of the Kern River in California, but didn't return to his car by late Sunday night, the Tulare County Sheriff's Office said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
Wardwell had hiked to the top of the falls with four friends, who decided to turn back after seeing the power of the rushing water, California Highway Patrol flight officer paramedic Mike Crane told the San Francisco Chronicle.
But Wardwell, who had rappelled the waterfalls four times before, decided to go on his own. After his friends got back to the trailhead, they left a note on his car, telling people nearby to report Wardwell as missing if his vehicle was still there the next day, the paper reported.
By Monday, Aug. 11, the sheriff's office received reports that Wardwell was missing and was last seen at the top of the Seven Teacups waterfalls the evening prior.
After an extensive search of the area, 'using aircraft equipped with camera and infrared technology,' emergency responders were able to locate the missing man's possible location, but it was too late to rescue him. Officials planned to return 'at first light' the next day when it was safer.
On the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 12, a drone found Wardwell alive behind a large waterfall. The man told deputies that 'he had come off his rappel lines and got trapped behind the waterfall because of the extreme hydraulics of the river," officials said.
Wardwell had stationed himself in a dark cave beneath the waterfall, where he huddled, soaking wet, for two days, the Chronicle reported.
'He tried for days to escape, but there was nothing he could do to break through,' Capt. Kevin Kemmerling of the Tulare County Sheriff's Office told the outlet. 'There was no way for him to warm up or dry out in there, so it had to have been miserable.'
A member of the rescue team was lowered down into the waterfall from the helicopter, secured Wardwell, before both men were hoisted to safety, authorities said. Officials described it as a 'stunning survival story' and shared footage of the rescuer being carefully lowered to the cave entrance and the extraction of the two men.
'I got the impression that maybe he didn't know if he was ever going to get out of there,' Crane, who operated the hoist and spoke to Wardwell after his rescue, told the Chronicle.
Once Wardwell was on a dry landing zone, he received treatment for minor injuries and dehydration. Members of his family were there, waiting for him.
The Seven Teacups is a string of pools created by the strong currents of Dry Meadow Creek, according to AllTrails. Hikers are not advised to continue into the pools 'without extensive canyoneering experience and proper equipment,' according to the hiking guide.
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After the death-defying incident, officials urged people to be aware of their experience level and the surrounding environment before venturing into white-water rivers.
'Stay Safe, Stay Smart and Stay Alive,' the sheriff's office said.
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