Two hikers are rescued by helicopter after being stranded for SEVEN DAYS surrounded by alligators in the Everglades and forced to live on swamp water
- Ryan Crowder and Tom Rieker were lost in the Everglades for seven days
- The friends were hiking through the Florida Scenic Trail when they lost their map
- On Friday they were rescued by a team of helicopters after calling 911 for help
- While they were lost they ate nothing but Ramen noodles cooked in boiled swamp water and beef jerky
- They also lost their tent and had to sleep just inches away from alligators
Two hikers were rescued from the everglades Friday morning after being lost and living off of swamp water for seven days.
Ryan Crowder, 25, and Tom Rieker, 24, lost the trail they intended to take in the Big Cypress National Preserve on December 1 - forcing them to walk 32 miles in waist-deep water, according to Wink News.
The lifelong friends were planning on hiking the entire 1,300-mile Florida Scenic Trail when they lost their map and their way in Collier County.
They were found four miles north of mile marker 63 on Interstate 75 on Friday by the Collier County Sheriff's Office, who conducted a helicopter search with the National Park Service and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.
Scroll down for video
Ryan Crowder, 25, (right) and Tom Rieker, 24, (left) lost the trail they intended to take in the Big Cypress National Preserve on December 1 - forcing them to walk 32 miles in waist-deep water, according to Wink News
Crowder and Rieker (left and right respectively) are lifelong friends and were planning on hiking the entire 1,300-mile Florida Scenic Trail when they lost their map and their way in Collier County
Once they were located deputies directed a helicopter from Miami to hoist them out of the wilderness.
A dramatic video of the rescue shows the moment the helicopter swoops down and an officer descends to pick up each of the hikers and carry them up and out of harm's way.
During the seven days they were missing they survived on just beef jerky, Ramen noodles and boiled swamp water. They had run out of all other food and water.
The pair have said that they don't think they would have made it if they didn't call for help.
Once they were located deputies directed a helicopter from Miami to hoist them out of the wilderness
A dramatic video of the rescue shows the moment the helicopter swoops down and an officer descends to pick up each of the hikers and carry them up and out of harm's way
They were found four miles fourth of mile marker 63 on Interstate 75 on Friday by the Collier County Sheriff's Office, who conducted a helicopter search with the National Park Service and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue
During the seven days they were missing they survived on just beef jerky, Ramen Noodles and boiled swamp water. They had run out of all other food and water. The pair have said that they don't think they would have made it if they didn't call for help
'I'm just saying to myself over and over again, that we're not going to die out here,' Rieker told the outlet.
Crowder also said he lost his tent - forcing the pair to sleep just inches away from hungry alligators and other dangerous wildlife.
'We slept last night on a 20 by 20 little island surrounded by water moccasin and alligators,' Crowder explained.
'One morning we woke up earlier and a wild hog being killed by something, you know, pretty close to our campsite.'
The friends, who run a YouTube channel Explorida, said they were planning on posting their adventure online.
The pair initially expected the Collier County leg of the trip to take between two and three days, but because they lost their way it ended up taking more than double that amount of time.
'We noticed on the flight back that we still had another day and a half, two days walk in that water with the pace we were going,' Crowder told NBC2.
Most watched News videos
- Guy Monson last spotted attending Princess Diana's statue unveiling
- Wild moment car falls off a cliff after towing incident goes wrong
- Ship Ahoy! Danish royals embark on a yacht tour to Sweden and Norway
- Chaos in UK airports as nationwide IT system crashes causing delays
- Harry arrives at Invictus Games event after flying back to the UK
- Aid trucks line up in Rafah as Israel takes control of crossing
- Moment suspect is arrested after hospital knife rampage in China
- Victim of Tinder fraudster felt like her 'world was falling apart'
- 'It took me an hour and a half': Passenger describes UK airport outage
- IDF troops enter Gazan side of Rafah Crossing with flag flying
- Shocking moment football fan blows off his own fingers with a flare
- Moment Kadyrov 'struggles to climb stairs' at Putin's inauguration