VIDEO: One Of Two Lost Hikers Found Alive In Cleveland National Forest

UPDATE: SECOND HIKER HAS BEEN FOUND. CLICK HERE FOR THE STORY.

Nicholas Cendoya, 19, is in intensive care after being rescued Wednesday night in the Cleveland National Forest where he and another teen had been lost since Easter Sunday. His companion Kyndall Jack, 18, remains lost in the wilderness.

“He’s in serious condition at this time, and he does have some serious injuries as well,” said Mission Hospital Dr. Matthew Kaplan. “He’ll be admitted with the trauma surgeons this evening. I think he’ll be in intensive care, and they’ll continue his treatment.”

Suffering confusion caused by dehydration, Cendoya still managed to shed some light on his ordeal.

“From what I gather, he has been trying to forage off the land,” said Kaplan.

Kaplan offered hope for Cendoya’s recovery.

“He’s strong. He’s young,” said Kaplan. “He’s a healthy young man pulling through, and we are treating him as we can.”

Cendoya's cousin Patricia Sanchez said the family is "relieved. We just want to thank God. We're very happy," she said via Twitter.

Cendoya, of Costa Mesa, was airlifted to the hospital. Witnesses said he exited the helicopter shirtless and shoeless but under his own power. Jack, also from Costa Mesa, was not found, but a ground crew from the Orange County Fire Authority will remain in the area.

Authorities hope Cendoya will help lead them to Jack as he becomes more alert.

“He's conscious, we've been able to talk to him,” said Orange County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Jason Park. “We're assessing his medical condition and acquiring whatever information we can from him…He was dehydrated and very confused.”

Park said Wednesday that authorities didn't know why Cendoya and Jack were not with each other but are hopeful that once he gets some nutrients and fluids it will spur his memory.

It was a hiker who tipped rescue workers to Cendoya’s location.

"A hiker approached one of our crews and said he'd been in contact with him and provided a location of where he'd been found. We were able to insert an air ship in there and send a rescue down and speak to him,” Park said in the 9 o'clock hour. “We have very limited contact between us and them. With the radio in the canyon it's very difficult.”

While the night extraction poses challenges, the rescue workers have already overcome the hardest part in finding Cendoya, said Park.

"We spoke to Nicholas's mom and dad. You can imagine what they felt when we gave them that information,” he said. “We haven't spoken to Kyndall's family we're in the process of extracting all that information."

Cendoya and Jack called authorities about 8:25 p.m. Sunday to say they were lost, said Gail Krause of the Orange County Sheriff's Department. The two said they believed they were about a mile from their vehicle in Orange County's Trabuco Canyon, Krause said.

Soon after they contacted authorities, the cellphone's battery wore down, Krause said.

Sheriff's Lt. Erin Giudice said authorities could not get an accurate GPS "ping" from the phone to pinpoint the hikers' location.

 - City News Service contributed to this report