American Ian Snyder from California went hiking alone on the Hawaiian island of Oahu last week. When the 34-year-old father of three reached the “hardest part” of the trail, things went wrong. He doesn’t remember exactly what happened, but he fell.
Broken arm
“I’m very happy to be here,” Snyder said yesterday during a press conference in which he met with emergency workers who came to rescue him. He has a broken arm and a swollen eye, but other than that there’s not much wrong.
“When I heard that I had fallen from a height of 1,000 feet, I could not believe that I had survived,” he said.
Snyder had no idea where he was after falling hundreds of feet. He did not know whether it was day or night. “I remember I was near a stream. I dragged myself there and lay down between two rocks.”
Because his arm was broken, he scooped water into his mouth with his other hand.
Pictures on social media
When Snyder didn’t return from his walk, his family called the police. Because the American posted about his trip on social media, rescuers were able to locate him more easily. “This is the best walk of my life,” Snyder captioned one photo.
He was finally found three days later by a rescue helicopter. The rescuer who saw him for the first time said during the news conference that he also couldn’t believe someone could survive such a fall. He said: “Falling from a height of three hundred meters is not an easy matter.”
Never walk alone again
Snyder was released from the hospital three days later. He says he learned one thing from the incident: He will never go on a long walk alone again.
