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A woman hiker on Maui went missing 17 days ago, near the 4000 foot level in the Olinda Rd & Piiholo Rd area above Makawao. Even if someone is familiar with the area, it’s easy to get turned around in the forest. Her boyfriend organized and kept up the search this entire time, even after the police department gave up after 3 or 4 days. All she had with her was a protein bar and a drink she bought at a Haiku grocery the morning she went missing.
She was found alive a few hours ago above Twin Falls, out near Huelo. Unlike the Makawao forest, Twin Falls is thick with underbrush, ferns, and slippery rocks, it’s difficult and steep terrain. Upper Makawao to Huelo is an increadibly long hike and as far as I know there are no trails connecting the two areas other than pig trails and streams.
I look forward to hearing her story once she recovers - - it’ll be an incredible tale.
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2019/05/25...und-alive/
(link added)
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
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That is amazing news, a happy ending!
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Just thinking the same thing. That gives a ray of hope into this troubled world.
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Good story in the NYT about this. Seems she decided to walk in the opposite direction of where she knew her car was due to her “gut instinct”.
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"Gut intsinct."
I generally find it better to think with my brain, but that's just me.
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she decided to walk in the opposite direction of where she knew her car was
Something must have been lost in transcription there. If she knew the direction of her car, there’s no reason to walk away from it. Except and unless she was in a steep ravine and there was no possibility of climbing out in the direction of her car. Then, her best bet is to walk downhill, which she did, follow a stream which would lead her eventually to Kapakalua Road or Hana Highway, which she did. The stream would also provide her with a source of drinking water, as humans can only stay alive about three days (or so) without taking in liquids.
I don’t know exactly what I would have done, but I’ve hiked the upper Makawao forests, above Twin Falls, and the bamboo forest, and I don’t fault her for any of the decisions she made once she became lost. In the future though, she might consider pulling on a pair of cargo shorts over her Lululemons, with a GPS unit in the pocket.
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
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https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/25/us/hawaii-hiker.html
"Ms. Eller had intended to go on a short trail walk, one she had done before. She went off the path at one point to rest, and when she resumed hiking, she got turned around.
“I wanted to go back the way I’d come, but my gut was leading me another way — and I have a very strong gut instinct,” she said. “So, I said, my car is this way and I’m just going to keep going until I reach it.”
She left her phone and her water in her car on purpose, because it was only supposed to be a 3-mile hike.
ETA: Kudos though to her for being able to survive that long. And a very impressive effort by the rescuers.
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a very impressive effort by the rescuers
Lucky she didn't have to rely on the police.
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“I wanted to go back the way I’d come, but my gut was leading me another way
The trail she was on is a loop, so depending on where she was (or thought she was) there may have been two ways back to the parking area. Maybe she thought she could return in either direction? I’m sure we’ll find out more in the next few days.
http://www.westmauicycles.com/maui-mount...loop-trail
She went off the path at one point to rest, and when she resumed hiking, she got turned around.
If she had gone off the trail on the inside of the loop, walking in any direction would have returned her to the trail. She must have wandered outside the loop, and then walked in the wrong direction away from the main trail.
Thanks for the NYT’s link PaulW. Their story was written by an independent journalist who lives on Maui. She definitely knows how to ask the right questions as her article included far more detail than any of the other reports I’ve read or watched.
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
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I have read accounts of people lost in many areas including Hawaii and I have hiked in Hawaii myself. One of the most traumatic things is how cold and miserable you get at night regardless of how hot it was during the day. I always pack a backpack with liters of water, jumbo garbage bags for emergency shelter, an extra long sleeved shirt, etc.
I recall a hike I took down into Waipio Valley and back with my cousin and a friend years ago. I had my pack with three 1-liter bottles of water. My companions teased me asking whether I was planning on staying overnight. I said no I wasn't but I would be better off than they would if we did have to stay overnight. Long story short within several yards after starting back up from the bottom, they both offered to lighten my load to the tune of a liter each. The thirst hit us like a physical blow once we were exerting ourselves and out of the shade and we might not have been able to make it back to the top without the water.
So, left the water in the car on purpose because it was only a 3 mile hike? Worst. Decision. Ever.
