Ian Snyder missing California hiker who fell 1000ft along Hawaii trail in Oahu and who endured numerous fractures cites faith for his survival during next 3 days before rescue.
How deep is your faith? A man who claimed falling 1,000 feet along a trail in Hawaii and enduring numerous fractures cited the presence of a nearby waterfall at the base of his fall which served as his lifeline during the next 3 days before rescuers found him.
Ian Snyder, 34, was hiking the Koolau Summit Trail near the Pali Notches Trail in Oahu last week when he slipped and lost his footing Hawaii News Now reported.
‘I couldn’t believe when people were telling me, ‘You fell 1,000 feet down the cliff,’ and I’m like, ‘How did I even survive?” Snyder said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Fortuitous post
Nevertheless, the avid outdoorsman from Ferndale, California insisted it was his faith which allowed him to endure and survive his ordeal.
Snyder told of having no memory of falling off the mountain, but upon regaining consciousness, found himself near a waterfall, which aided in his survival for the next few days.
‘I made sure I had a spot where I could get the water as needed with my right hand,’ he said. ‘And I kind of just hunkered down from there, and time passed.’
At Queens Medical Center in Honolulu, Snyder said he was treated for numerous injuries, including a fractured cheekbone and arm. The hiker was also treated for dehydration.
At the time of his disappearance, Snyder’s family members alerted authorities after not having heard from him, pointing to his last communication on X in which he shared a video from his hike on Dec. 4.
‘Current situation,’ the father of three captioned the post, which showed low clouds framing a lush mountainside.
Ironically it would be the posting of the video which allowed rescuers to pinpoint his assumed whereabouts and eventual rescue.
‘We were just so thankful for that post. That was our starting point because I had no idea he was in Hawaii. He doesn’t always tell me his trips,’ his sister Sara Borgeson told KITV.
According to the Honolulu Fire Department, authorities were able to pinpoint Snyder’s location, and he was airlifted from the scene last Thursday.
As he reunited with the first responders who helped save him, Snyder said he relied on his faith.
‘I made my peace with God’
‘I’m glad to be here, incredibly glad to be here and glad to be in mostly one piece,’ Snyder said. ‘I’m incredibly grateful to all of you for the job you do each and every day.’
Adding, ‘I made my peace with God. I said, ”I know you. I know that Christ is Lord and He’s my Savior. I will be OK whether I live or whether I die.”’
‘There were truly angels surrounding him those 3 days,’ Borgeson wrote after the rescue, reported by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
‘We are so thankful for the local community there on Oahu, and for the countless people who have been praying for him. Thank you!!’ she added.
Honolulu EMS paramedic Allen Zhang said at the press conference that rescuers were ‘expecting the worst-case scenario’ when they found Snyder.
‘Falling 1,000 feet from a trail is no joke,’ he said.
The Honolulu Fire Department added in a statement: ‘It is truly a miracle that Ian is still with us today, and soon, on his way home to California to celebrate the holiday season.’
Snyder said he learned a ‘valuable lesson’ from his ordeal – to avoid hiking alone in Hawaii, while also saying that he plans to continue exploring trails.
‘I don’t know how this will be used instrumentally by God through my life, but I hope it will be useful in the long run,’ he said.
Koolau Summit Trail, is known to be one of the most challenging trails in the Hawaii islands.
