Hiker missing after falling 1,000 feet from Hawaiian trail found three days later

HONOLULU — A hiker who had gone out for a trek but didn’t return when expected was found three days after being reported missing and 1,000 feet down from the trail.

>> Read more trending news

Ian Snyder, a 34-year-old hiker from California said, “I never expected a day of hiking like this to go the way it did,” Hawaii News Now reported.

Snyder had fallen while hiking alone, landing about 1,000 feet below the trail he had been on, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.

He had been on the Ko’olau Summit Trail, which according to KITV, is considered one of the most difficult trails on the islands.

When no one had heard from him, his family called on other hikers in Oahu to help find him. Luckily through the power of social media, Snyder’s sister was able to find out where he was thanks to a video he had posted.

Once rescue crews found him, they airlifted him. He was dehydrated, bruised and had broken several bones. Luckily he had fallen near a small stream and waterfall so that helped keep him alive, Hawaii News Now reported.

He waited there, scooping water from the stream and waiting, KITV reported.

“It’s a miracle first and foremost. I’m glad to be here, incredibly glad to be here and glad to be in mostly one piece. I’m incredibly grateful to all of you for the job you do each and every day,” Snyder said.

He said he doesn’t remember falling and when he woke up, he didn’t know how long he had been there, KITV reported.

Another hiker whose group helped find Snyder figured they were only going to bring closure for his family, instead, it was much more.

“I thought the best gift we could give to the family was that we had found a body and when we had found a whole human living and breathing and waving at the sky. It was like Merry Christmas,” Amber Fonte, a member of the Oahu Hiking Community, said, according to Hawaii News Now.

Snyder also learned a valuable lesson not to hike alone in Hawaii. He also used Google Maps to make his trail plan but then made a decision during the hike that took him down a treacherous path.

He also said he plans on continuing hiking, KITV reported.