Ryan Wardwell, of Long Beach, was trapped behind a waterfall for more than two days in the Sequoia National Forest before his rescue. (Tulare County Sheriff’s Office)
A man trapped behind a waterfall in the Sequoia National Forest was hoisted out by helicopter after being stuck there for two days, according to the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office.
In a video the office posted to social media on Wednesday, one deputy is seen being lowered from a helicopter into a nook behind the cascading waterfall on the Seven Teacups Trail to reach 46-year-old Ryan Wardwell of Long Beach.
Wardwell embarked on the trail Sunday morning to rappel the waterfalls but was reported missing on Monday. He was last seen at the top of the waterfalls on Sunday evening, near the North Fork of the Kern River.
The Sheriff’s Office identified Wardwell’s location using cameras and infrared technology attached to aircraft and devised a rescue plan to retrieve him by dawn the next morning.
On Tuesday morning, the Sheriff’s Office sent its search-and-rescue team as well as a swift-water dive team to the location. Using a drone, they found Wardwell behind the waterfall, alive and well, the office said. A helicopter from the California Highway Patrol was sent to the scene, and Wardwell was pulled out of the waterfall.
Authorities said he was then flown to a landing zone nearby and treated for minor injuries and dehydration. He reunited with his family, who were also at the landing zone.
Wardwell told authorities that he had come off of his rappel lines and got trapped behind the waterfall because of the intense river flow.
“The TCSO Emergency Services Division reminds the public to always be aware of their environment and capabilities, especially when navigating white water rivers,” the Sheriff’s Office said in the post.
The Seven Teacups Trail, about 4 miles long, is known for its continuous, cascading pools that resemble teacups. The trail runs along Dry Meadow Creek, which flows into the Kern River. Hiking blogs describe the trail as challenging and potentially dangerous for those who are unprepared. It can’t be completed solely on foot, and hikers need rope and equipment to rappel down the canyon and to make their way back up.
The American Canyoneering Assn. rates the Seven Teacups as Class 3C, which means it has flowing water with strong currents and requires intermediate technical skills.
Last August, three hikers drowned while swimming in a whirlpool that unexpectedly formed at the end of the same trail.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
