KOKE‘E — A hiker missing for nearly two days with little food and water was found Monday morning off the Kaluapuhi Trail in Koke‘e. “We were screaming her name in the valleys,” said Kekoa Agustin, the first boy to see
KOKE‘E — A hiker missing for nearly two days with little food and water was found Monday morning off the Kaluapuhi Trail in Koke‘e.
“We were screaming her name in the valleys,” said Kekoa Agustin, the first boy to see Pam Dohrman. “When we got to her, she was very excited and was jumping up and down. ‘Let me touch you,’ she said. And then, she gave me a big hug.”
Despite signs of dehydration, Dohrman appeared to be in good condition with no major physical injuries, according to rescue personnel.
The family group out for maile harvesting for high school graduation found the 72-year-old Dohrman after the wet and cold forced the group to change its plans.
“My brother, Bully Mission, is with the search group,” said Clifford Mission. “When one of the boys got cold and wanted to go back to the truck, we remembered Bully saying he couldn’t get maile because of the search, so we came to help.”
Good thing.
Clifford said he was familiar with the Kaluapuhi Trail, and despite teams having scoured the trail before, he and his group trooped back into the trail.
About 11:30 a.m., Dohrman answered their calls.
They found her about a quarter-mile off Kaluapuhi Trail, less than a mile from the trailhead, in a densely vegetated area at the bottom of a roughly 100-foot cliff.
“We didn’t have a trail to get to her,” said Clifton Mission, Clifford’s son. “We plowed straight down the valley, kind of making our own trail, and used a pig trail to finally get to her where she was on kind of a flat area near Berry Flats.”
Dohrman, overjoyed at being found, was in good health and spirits, Clifton said.
“But she didn’t have any water and was real thirsty,” he said.
Clifton said the four men took turns carrying the Dohrman on their backs to bring her back up to the trail where they were met by rescuers, family and volunteers. From there, she was carried out on a backboard to the trailhead.
Husband Mal Dorhman, family and friends were thrilled to see her.
“That’s wonderful, wonderful news,” said Suzy Fiorito, a longtime friend of Pam Dohrman’s, after hearing she was found safe.
Medics transported the woman to Kaua‘i Veterans Memorial Hospital. She was released Monday to return home.
“We are all so relieved that Pam has been found safe and healthy,” said Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho Jr. “Many prayers were answered today and our entire community is rejoicing at the news of her return to her family and friends. Mahalo to the dozens and dozens of rescue workers and volunteers who kept the faith and searched tirelessly for the past two days. We are so blessed as a community to have this sense of ‘ohana which connects us all when we need it most. Mahalo Ke Akua!”
Dohrman, of Hanalei, was reported missing late Saturday night after taking a walk from her Koke‘e cabin about 2:30 p.m. and failing to return.
According to a preliminary report, Dohrman took off on her normal hike through the Berry Flat Trail, but after taking a side trail she became lost in an area of thick fern vegetation.
Dohrman stayed in that spot from Saturday night to keep from getting further disoriented or injured. She was wearing a light hooded jacket and had a cell phone but no cell reception. She also had a backpack of snacks and some water that she rationed over the past two days.
Fiorito wasn’t surprised to learn Dohrman survived two nights outside. She described her as tough, talented and smart. Dohrman walked daily and kept herself in good shape.
“If anybody was going to make it, Pam would,” Fiorito said.
When she heard Dohrman was missing, Fiorito said she held her medal of the Blessed Virgin Mary. When Dohrman was found, she was still holding that medal.
“I just decided to hold it in my hand until I heard she was safe. I really believe it helped,” Fiorito said. “I’m going to keep this medal forever.”
Dohrman’s cousin, David Scott, said he found out about her being lost through the media. He said he was worried.
“I don’t know if I could spend two nights up there,” said Scott, adding that it is amazing that Dohrman is well. It was upsetting to hear that she was lost for so long in Koke‘e, but he was relieved she was found.
“She’s very smart, very nice and very community minded,” he said of his cousin. “She’s just a very nice person.”
The Incident Commander logged in 83 volunteers, including Dohrman’s family, friends and complete strangers, who showed up to assist on the second day of the search.
Those volunteers, along with personnel from the Kaua‘i Fire Department, the Kaua‘i Police Department, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and Kaua‘i Search and Rescue, split up into nine walking units Monday morning and set out on various Koke‘e hiking trails to search for Pam Dohrman.
Air 1 was utilized for nearly three hours for an aerial search of the area, joining the efforts of more than 60 people on the ground.
Following suspension the search efforts at 6:30 p.m., Sunday, search efforts resumed Monday morning with a volunteer and operations incident command established at the pavilion at the Koke‘e State Park.
“It’s a good thing one of the boys got cold,” Clifford said. “Along the way, we found a lost dog and left it our lunch. Good things happen when you do good things.”
Clifton said they often find lost dogs, but never lost humans.
“What if it was your grandmother?” Clifton said.
Pam Dohrman’s has strong family ties, history on Kaua‘i
Pam Dohrman’s mother is the late Edith King Wilcox, the great-granddaughter of Frederick Godfrey Wundenberg, appointed by Kamehameha V as treasurer of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i in 1863.
Her father, the late Samuel Whitney Wilcox, was the son of Charles Henry Wilcox and grandson of Samuel Whitney Wilcox. The elder S. W. Wilcox was sheriff of Kaua‘i for 25 years, and was involved in the early days of Grove Farm plantation, bought by his brother, George Norton Wilcox, in 1864.
Grove Farm would remain with the Wilcox family until 2000, when it was sold to former AOL CEO and co-founder Stephen Case.
Pam Dohrman served as a longtime board member of Grove Farm. In 2003, she completed the Epilogue to “Grove Farm Plantation: The Biography of a Hawaiian Sugar Plantation” by Bob Krauss with W.P. Alexander.
Dohrman served as chair of Wilcox Health System from 1998 to 2001, and chair of G. N. Wilcox Memorial Hospital from 1997 to 1998.
Her father was Wilcox Hospital’s president from 1970 to 1974, and president of Wilcox Health Center from 1972 to 1974.
• Staff writers, Léo Azambuja and Bill Buley contributed to this article.
