Deaths and rescues common, even with precautions BY LESTER CHANG TGI Staff Writer The deaths of two hikers in the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park this month offered a troubling reminder to state officials on Kaua’i of the perils hikers may
Deaths and rescues common, even with precautions
BY LESTER CHANG
TGI
Staff Writer
The deaths of two hikers in the Hawai’i Volcanoes National
Park this month offered a troubling reminder to state officials on Kaua’i of
the perils hikers may face on treks into the island’s jungles and
mountains.
On Nov. 5, the burned and cut bodies of Ivan S. Klein, 42, from
Washington, D.C., and Nancy Everett, 41, from Volcano, Hawai’i, were found on
lava on Big Island
The potential danger of hiking on Kaua’i lies more with
the hikers than with the condition of the 45 miles of state-managed trails and
roads that meander on private land, say state Department of Land and Natural
Resources officials on Kaua’i.
Each year, a small number of hikers —
visitors and residents — get lost or injure themselves in the wilderness
because they aren’t physically up for the hikes. But the adventurers forge
ahead, ignore safety signs and don’t carry enough water or proper hiking
equipment and don’t wear the right shoes, officials said.
In the past, some
have died.
More often than not, they are found alive following search
efforts by the Kaua’i County Fire Department search and rescue squads,
Inter-Island Helicopters and helicopters from the Navy’s Pacific Missile Range
Facility.
Yet, the rescuers put their lives on the line each time they
respond to emergencies that take them to treacherous terrain and
life-threatening situations, note fire department officials.
The rescues
also drive up the yearly cost of rescue and search operations, putting more of
a financial burden on Kaua’i County taxpayers.
For this fiscal year, the
fire department, for instance, was budgeted $45,000 for the use of a helicopter
for firefighting or rescue operations. The actual cost exceeded $50,000 and
will go up if more rescues and firefighting operations are performed, fire
chief David Sproat predicted.
In 1999 and 1998, county fire and rescue
teams and helicopters responded to 75 land rescues each year, said Beth
Tokioka, county spokeswoman.
By comparison, Big Island, although boasting a
much larger population than Kaua’i, has averaged about 63 land rescues a year
since 1995, said Big Island Fire Department battalion chief Tom Bello.
Figures for the city and county of Honolulu and Mau’i County were not
available.
Kauai’s trails pose a danger to expert and beginning hikers.
Consider:
l In May 1999, an Anahola resident who was a former member of
search and rescue teams with the Honolulu Fire Department fell to his death
during a hike into the mountains above Anahola.
l In the early 1990s, a
mainland couple disappeared while hiking in Koke’e, sparking one of the most
intensive searches ever mounted on Kaua’i. They were never found.
l This
year, two visitors from Kaua’i got lost while hiking in the Alakai Swamp area
in Koke’e. They were found.
l This year, another visitor who said he had
extensive hiking experience got lost in the mountainous areas of Waimea and
spent the night in the region. He was found after searchers in a helicopter
spotted him waving at them with red bandanas wrapped around his hands.
l
Several years ago, a Kaua’i firefighter fell to his death while hunting in the
Koke’e area.
People are not getting lost in significant numbers on 30 miles
of trails under the jurisdiction of the state DLNR’s Forestry and Wildlife
Division, but the most common report the division receives is of a “hiker
getting lost,” said Ed Pettys, branch manager on Kaua’i.
“The trail map
advice says to stick on established trails and be sure to let someone know
where you are going,” Petteys said. “But some people wander off, and people
get lost.”
He said the ones who get lost often “underestimate the
difficulty of the trails. They might start out a little later and get caught in
the darkness.”
Most hikers are eventually found, but others aren’t so
lucky.
“Some have died from hypothermia in Koke’e, so it can be a
life-threatening situation,” Petteys said.
To avoid getting lost, Petteys
urgers hikers “to stay on established trails, tell someone where they are gong,
carry something that will allow them to stay warm and dry and have water, food,
water treatment and flashlights.”
The Kaua’i trail on which most hiking
accidents occur is Hanakapiai Trail, the first two miles of the nine-mile
Kalalau Trail system, a popular hiking route for visitors from throughout the
world.
Hikers injure their knees or sprain their ankles because “they
don’t wear the right footwear,” said Wayne Souza, who heads DLNR’s state parks
division, which has jurisdiction over 15 miles of trails. “They need something
with traction.”
Hikers get in trouble because they are not physically ready
for the challenge of a hardy hike such as what the Na Pali Coast presents,
Souza said.
“Somebody coming from the mainland should climatize themselves”
to the humid conditions in Hawai’i, he advised.
Those who get in trouble
also are inexperienced hikers who are “going into a wet environment,” he said.
People also can fall off cliffs along the coast if they don’t pay close
attention to the terrain, he added.
To help reduce the risk of accidents on
the Hanakapiai Trail, warning signs are to be posted at the beginning of the
trail at Ke’e Beach in Ha’ena and at the beginning of Hanakapiai Valley, Souza
said. DLNR already has about 20 safety signs on the Kalalau Trail.
Hikers
also can get injured because of the negligent and criminal actions of others,
Souza said. Vandals recently destroyed “keep out” signs at Wailua Falls,
another popular visitor stop in east Kauai.
Without the signs to warn the,
people will venture to areas in and around the falls, and they shouldn’t
because “they really don’t realize how hazardous it is. The road is steep,”
Souza said.
In the early 1990s, a young boy, after hiking to a stream
feeding the Wailua Falls, was swept over the edge of the falls and fell 80 feet
to his death.
But even if hikers stay on established trails, they can get
hurt or lost at any time, officials lament.
“Nature never sleeps and is an
ever-present danger,” Petteys said.
Staff writer Lester Chang can be
reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and lchang@pulitzer.net
Staff photo by
DENNIS FUJIMOTO
While fun, hiking along the 45 miles of state-managed
trails on Kaua’i can also prove dangerous. But officials say the risk often
lies more with the hiker than the paths themselves.
