WARREN, Ohio - The two men who became stranded in Packard Park Thursday evening returned to the scene of their rescue to retrieve the boats they left behind.

The two men, Herbert Holliday and Eric Lowenkamp, drifted down the Mahoning River while having a recreational day on the water.

"We went over by the bridge and the current sucked me out. And my friend Zip, he kind of came out because he had an ore, so he had complete control and we just tied off together and came down," Holliday says.

The men tied their boat and canoe together and drifted down the Mahoning River until they made it to Packard Park.

A 911 call was made shortly after 8 p.m. for a request to rescue the two men, one of which made his way into a tree and the other still in the boat or canoe that was possibly sinking.

"I was there for a couple of hours just tangled on branches hoping I wasn't just going to float away," says Holliday.

When rescuers arrived to the scene, the water was still high. Holliday says the current was too strong to navigate to higher ground, so Lowencamp used his waterproof cell phone to call for help.

Rescuers were able to pull Lowencamp to safety, but it took almost two hours to reach Holliday.

"I say out there for a couple of hours, so I had a lot to think about. I just thought about everything, really, just reflecting on life," Holliday says.

Hours later a Bazetta Township Hovercraft tossed him a life vest and pulled him aboard.

Both men walked away from the long night rescue uninjured and grateful their lives were spared by the water that surrounded them.