KALALAU — At least five people have been airlifted from Kalalau Valley in the past week for injuries and other health reasons. The most recent was a female camper who fell some 100 feet on the north end of Kalalau
KALALAU — At least five people have been airlifted from Kalalau Valley in the past week for injuries and other health reasons.
The most recent was a female camper who fell some 100 feet on the north end of Kalalau Beach on Sunday morning, a county press release states. The extent of her injuries were unknown at press time.
The incident was reported to police dispatch at around 8:39 a.m. by an Island Helicopters Kauai pilot who was signaled by campers while he was flying in the area.
Three rescue specialists from the Lihu‘e fire station responded in a helicopter piloted by Airborne Aviation. The crew landed north of the Kalalau stream and found the victim being tended to by two campers.
The woman was taken to Princeville Airport, where waiting medics then transported her to Wilcox Memorial Hospital.
A 55-year-old male visitor from Seattle, Wash., was airlifted from Kalalau Valley Saturday afternoon, a county news release states.
Police Dispatch received a call at around 11:35 a.m. from the man’s son who had hiked out, drove to Ching Young Village and reported that his father had severely injured his ankle and was unable to hike out.
Two rescue specialists from the Lihu‘e fire station flew into the valley on an Airborne Aviation chopper, picked up the injured hiker at the Kalalau Valley landing pad and flew him to Princeville Airport.
The man was checked by waiting firefighters from the Hanalei station and Medic 22, then released at the scene.
On Dec. 28, a helicopter crew picked up a 26-year-old woman from Enterprise, Ala., who had an injured ankle. The following day, a 22-year-old female and her 20-year-old brother were airlifted from Kalalau Valley because she was suffering an anxiety attack.
The remote valley lies at the end of an 11-mile trail that begins at Ke‘e Beach at the end of road on the North Shore. The world-renowned trail skirts cliffs and valleys, providing dramatic vistas of the rugged coast.
