The last thing the teen, a former scout, remembers before seeing a rescue helicopter flying up the valley was having lost all feeling in his feet as he got colder and colder.
The 17-year-old, rescued along with three friends in the Ruahine Ranges, New Zealand on Sunday, later learned medics believed he was just an hour from death.
Much of the area had no cellphone reception so he decided to take a personal locator beacon (PLB) with him.
The group tried to get to a flat, sandy spot near the increasingly unsafe river where they had to cross waist-high.
A hyperthermia check prompted them to boil water for drinks and debate about setting off the 406 PLB.
Once they set it off, it was a matter of waiting, and hoping.
“The next thing I remember after that is we had the helicopter coming up the valley.”
The helicopter moved away, but rescuers soon reappeared in the dense bush.
“I remember him telling us we’re all right and we’re not in trouble.”
“They walked us up to the spot where they could pick us up and they put us into a type of bag or harness, one at a time.”
The teen and one of the 17-year-old girls were in the worst condition, so were flown out first to Palmerston North Hospital.
Supplies were dropped off to the other two hikers to tide them over.
Wrapped in blankets, the teen and his friend arrived at the hospital where his parents were waiting.
The relief was overwhelming. After three hours in hospital, he was free to go.
Then the reality of what happened set in after he, fully conscious, absorbed what rescuers and medics told him.
“They actually only gave me one hour left.”
He credited Scouts training with making him prepared.
And he also said without the beacon, the best-case scenario would have been a very expensive search and rescue operation lasting days.
The Rescue Co-ordination Centre NZ spokesman said it was more important than ever for people to carry locator beacons.
“It was great that they had the common sense to activate their beacon. It could’ve been the difference between life and death at that point.”
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