Climber Survives 2 Days Behind California Waterfall Before He's Rescued By Helicopter

A stone climber survived 2 days perched down a roaring California waterfall earlier he was rescued earlier this week, authorities said.

The climber, identified arsenic Ryan Wardwell, 46, of Long Beach, California, was reported missing by family connected Monday. He grounded to return to his conveyance Sunday nighttime pursuing an effort to rappel a waterfall astatine nan Kern River’s Seven Teacups area, nan Tulare County Sheriff’s Office said successful a connection connected Wednesday.

By nan clip first responders reached nan area successful nan Sequoia National Forest connected Monday, it was getting dark, and they were only capable to find a imaginable location for nan climber utilizing infrared technology, nan sheriff’s agency said.

A first responder attempts to rescue Ryan Wardwell from down nan Seven Teacups waterfall successful nan Sequoia National Forest, successful Tulare County, Calif.Obtained by NBC News

On Tuesday morning, nan office's swift-water dive and hunt and rescue teams utilized a drone that located Wardwell successful astir nan aforesaid location, successful an evident cavity down nan waterfall.

"Wardwell was recovered live and responsive," nan sheriff's agency said. "He told Deputies he had travel disconnected his rappel lines and sewage trapped down nan waterfall because of nan utmost hydraulics of nan river."

He was checked retired astatine nan segment and released to family connected Tuesday pursuing his rescue, nan agency said.

Deputy Craig Douglas made nan rescue pinch nan thief of colleagues and a unit connected committee a California Highway Patrol helicopter, it said.

"They were capable to little maine perfectly correct adjacent to him," Douglas said successful an question and reply connected Friday. "I was capable to get him successful a betterment suit, hook him up, get him backmost into nan helicopter."

Wardwell apt suffered from hypothermia, nan lawman said.

"He was beautiful overmuch conscionable highly cold," Douglas said.

Temperatures were successful nan debased 60s early Tuesday greeting successful Ponderosa, a organization astir 6 miles northbound of Seven Teacups. The Kern River's North Fork tin besides tally cold, arsenic it's mostly fed by nan Sierra Nevada's wintertime snowpack.

Authorities said Wardwell had rappelled nan characteristic previously, but they warned it tin beryllium a threat regardless.

Sheriff’s Capt. Kevin Kemmerling told NBC connection KSEE of Fresno that Wardwell traveled to nan waterfall pinch a group of friends and chap climbers that decided to retreat aft determining rappelling would beryllium excessively dangerous. He carried connected alone, nan skipper told nan station.

He noted that three group drowned astatine astir nan aforesaid location successful August 2024.

The sheriff's agency said visitors to nan stream should "always beryllium alert of their situation and capabilities, particularly erstwhile navigating achromatic water."