Injured hiker airlifted from Hanakoa Valley

An injured hiker was airlifted from the Kalalau Trail on Tuesday — the second rescue of a hiker on Kaua‘i in two days.

In the latest rescue, a 54-year-old woman from Hayward, Calif., was hiking with family members near a rest shelter in Hanakoa Valley late Monday afternoon when she hurt her left shoulder. According to a Kaua‘i County spokesperson, the woman’s son and daughter-in-law hiked out to the trailhead and called 911 to report the incident.

Darkness set in before a rescue could be launched. The woman and her husband spent the night in the valley and rescue personnel responded to the call in the morning, the county reported.

Kaua‘i Fire Department Air 1 and Rescue 3 picked up the injured hiker at a landing zone in Hanakoa Valley at about 8:15 a.m. and transported her to Princeville Airport, where fire fighters from the Hanalei station and medics awaited her arrival.

Medics assessed the woman’s condition and then released her at the airport. According to the county, her family members said they would drive the injured hiker in their rental car to Wilcox Memorial Hospital for treatment.

The rescue occurred one day after fire department rescue personnel airlifted an injured hiker from Nonou Mountain. In that incident, a 38-year-old man from Anchorage, Alaska, was hiking on “Sleeping Giant” with his wife when the man hurt his ankle. The injured man was airlifted Monday to Wailua Houselots Park, where waiting medics transported him to Wilcox Memorial Hospital.