A severely injured hike who survived two days in the intense heat in Joshua Tree National Park is telling his story of his intense experience.
Hiker Faces Harrowing Injury in the Wilderness
He documented part of his struggle and Robert Ringo, 67, can be heard screaming “Help! Help!”
He was unable to move after suffering the fall. “I landed right on my left hip. I can’t move it for the pain. I can’t move myself,” Ringo said in the video.
Being an experienced hiker and hunter, Ringo was only expecting to go for a short walk and only had two liters of water. He had his cell phone but did not have cell service.
“Between the dehydration and the heatstroke and heat exhaustion, I had no idea that I was going to spend 40 hours on my back,” the hiker explained.
As time was ticking by, Ringo knew he did not have much time left to survive in the treacherous summer heat.
“It’s about 4:30, 4:20 on Thursday afternoon. I’m up in — well, if you get this or find this something, I don’t know.”
Injured hiker rescued from Joshua Tree National Park after 2 days https://t.co/NCYckrIS93 pic.twitter.com/w5iBHjMSoE
— New York Post (@nypost) July 26, 2020
Odds of Survival Were Slim
Thinking it seemed quite plausible that he would not survive the ordeal, Ringo began recording to leave a video behind.
“I don’t know if I’m going to be able to get up, but I’m sure they’ll be out looking for me tonight,” Ringo says in the video which aired on ABC’s Good Morning America on Thursday. “This might be the last episode.”
His Son Sent out Search and Rescue
Before he left for his walk, he let his son Ryan know where he was going which probably saved his life.
“Just before I got out of the car, I always do this, I share my location with Ryan,” he said.
Ryan called officials which started Ringo’s rescue mission.
“I looked and it showed his last location was in Joshua Tree, and when I saw it, I recognized where it was,” Ryan Ringo said according to ABC 7.
Over 30 rescuers went out to the blazing area and searched for the hurt hiker.
Hiker Found Alive
“I don’t know how many men can say their hero is their son,” he said
Ringo has faced death before being both electrocuted and attacked by a shark.
