Friends Left Note on Hiker’s Car in Case He Didn’t Return from Waterfall. He Was Found Trapped 2 Days Later

A 46-year-old man from California was found safe, though dehydrated, after being trapped for two days behind a powerful waterfall in 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. He didn’t return to his car that 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. They decided to turn back after seeing how strong the water was, California Highway Patrol flight officer paramedic Mike Crane told the San Francisco Chronicle.

But Wardwell, who had rappelled the waterfalls four times before, went on alone. After his friends got back to the trailhead, they left a note on his car, asking anyone nearby to report him 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 had last been seen at the top of the Seven Teacups waterfalls the evening before.

After a large search, which included “aircraft equipped with camera and infrared technology,” emergency responders found a possible location for Wardwell but it was too dangerous to rescue him. Officials decided to return “at first light” the next day when it was safer.

On Tuesday morning, Aug. 12, a drone spotted Wardwell alive behind a large waterfall. He told deputies 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 stayed in a dark cave under the waterfall, soaked and huddled 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, so it had to have been miserable.”

A rescue team member was lowered from a helicopter into the waterfall, secured Wardwell, and both were lifted to safety, authorities said. Officials called it a “stunning survival story” and shared footage of the rescue.

“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 on a dry landing zone, Wardwell was treated for minor injuries and dehydration. His family was waiting for him.

The Seven Teacups is a series of pools formed by strong currents from Dry Meadow Creek, according to AllTrails. Hikers are warned not to enter the pools “without extensive canyoneering experience and proper equipment.”

After the incident, officials reminded people to know their skill level and the environment before going into white-water rivers.

“Stay Safe, Stay Smart and Stay Alive,” the sheriff’s office said.