Man breaks his back and nearly dies after falling off cliff taking a photo of ice formations

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 19:45 EST, 22 March 2014 | UPDATED: 21:42 EST, 22 March 2014

Seth Wyckoff just wanted to take a picture of an ice formation off Cantwell Cliffs when he found himself falling 50 feet to the ice on bottom.

Besides spitting out several teeth, the fall broke his back in two places, fractured his cheek bone, and broke one leg and a left heel.

'I remember most of everything,' Wyckoff, 28, told WBNS. 'I remember catching some ice and taking my feet out from under me.'

Survivor: Wyckoff plummeted 50 feet, breaking his back and several bones

Survivor: Wyckoff plummeted 50 feet, breaking his back and several bones

Learn from me: Wyckoff said he hoped others would learn not to repeat his mistakes

Learn from me: Wyckoff said he hoped others would learn not to repeat his mistakes

Rocky terrain: Wyckoff wanted a picture of an ice formation at the Cantwell Cliffs

Rocky terrain: Wyckoff wanted a picture of an ice formation at the Cantwell Cliffs

He describes a sensation of falling in slow motion.

'Just like in a movie, I was clawing just to grab onto something,' he said.

'I remember going over the fall in a freefall, a feeling of weightlessness,' he continued. 'As soon as that happened, my mind told me to look down and see where I was going to fall.'

He later admitted to hiking in areas he should have avoided.

Recovery: It may take a long time, but he will one day walk again with proper therapy

Recovery: It may take a long time, but he will one day walk again with proper therapy

'There was a sign that was 20 feet from where I was that said you shouldn't go that way,' he said. 

'It's a cautionary tale.'

While he will be able to walk again one day he has a long road of recovery ahead.

Medical bills also piled up to more than $200,000, and his family is helping him set-up an auction to raise funds.

Debt: Medical bills for his treatment and recovery will run roughly $200,000

Debt: Medical bills for his treatment and recovery will run roughly $200,000

Grateful: Wyckoff said he was happy just to be alive after his ordeal

Grateful: Wyckoff said he was happy just to be alive after his ordeal

Despite his injuries and debt, he's grateful to be alive.

'I'm extremely lucky,' he said.

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"'There was a sign that was 20 feet from where I was that said you shouldn't go that way,' he said. 'It's a cautionary tale.'" Idiot.

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