He ignored his friends’ warning and got trapped near a waterfall. A note he left on his car turned out to be the clue that saved him
Friends are those who look out for you and this ideal stands not just for emotional or abstract support but also in other cases. A group of friends in California took their companionship to a whole new level while on a trip, The Guardian reported. Ryan Wardwell and his buddies had gone to the Seven Teacups waterfall, the San Francisco Chronicle revealed. After seeing the powerful water’s force, three of them decided to steer clear of going ahead and take a safer trail instead. However, Wardwell was insistent on staying back. While his companions went on their way, they thoughtfully decided to leave a note on his car and it saved the man’s life.
Wardwell and his friends embarked on the trip with plans of their own. What they didn’t realize was that the waterfall would be extremely powerful. Captain Kevin Kemmerling of the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office titled the area “a drowning machine” due to its dangerous landscape. With a 15 to 30 feet height range, extremely treacherous terrain and other dangers of the place, the friends made a smart decision to change their route. However, Wardwell was persistent. Having made similar hikes, he was keen to explore the waterfall. He decided to go ahead without his friends.
Those who went back knew Wardwell's plan was not the wisest and that’s when their plan helped save his life. Wardwell’s car was parked at the trailhead and the friends left a note on it that said if the car was still there the next day, it meant that the motorist was missing and that they should call the authorities. The friends went on their way and Wardwell ventured into the depths of the waterfall. Right enough, a passerby took heed of the note and on Monday afternoon, called the Tulare Sheriff’s Office to report a missing person. A helicopter was sent to look for the man around the waterfall.
By the time they spotted Wardwell’s ropes in one of the terrains near the water, it was too dark to venture into a rescue. They started early in the morning the next day and took the challenging hike to locate the man. Fortunately, they found Wardwell, soaking wet but responsive. He had sustained minor injuries after getting trapped in one of the corners of the area. Just as his friends feared, after Wardwell let go of his ropes to go further in, he was pulled due to the current of the water. The very force became a barrier, keeping him from getting back to his ropes, leaving him stranded for two days.
“He tried for days to escape, but there was nothing he could do to break through. There was no way for him to warm up or dry out in there, so it had to have been miserable,” Kimmerling noted. While he sustained only dehydration and a few injuries, he was relieved and grateful to be found. This was only possible thanks to the friends’ concern that pushed them to leave that note. Kimmerling noted that it is surprising that Wardwell is okay, given the drastic terrain which usually has “no chance of survival.” “Nobody should be doing stuff like that solo, period. He should have turned back with his group,” he noted. California Highway Patrol flight officer paramedic Mike Crane, who operated the rescue hoist and spoke to the man, said, “I got the impression that maybe he didn’t know if he was ever going to get out of there.”
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