Stranded hikers rescued after cold night in Koolaus

Two hikers were rescued Tuesday after spending a wet night near the top of the Koolau Mountain Range above Pearl City without food or water.

“They were just cold, tired, fatigued and hungry, but no medical conditions,” said fire Capt. Terry Seelig.

He said the hikers, a father and son, became lost Monday afternoon while hiking on Waimano Trail. The wife of the younger man called firefighters at about 5:30 p.m. Monday. The men, one in his 30s and another in his 60s, later responded to a text message the woman sent them, saying they believed they found the trail and were hiking out. When firefighters checked the hikers’ GPS on their cellphone, they found the men were hiking in the wrong direction toward the crest of the Koolau Mountain Range.

“We told them to stay in place,” Seelig said. “This is now right before dark.”

The men had only one cellphone, which was low on batteries and eventually died.

Faced with incoming clouds, gusty wind and intermittent rain, firefighters decided it was too dangerous to fly a helicopter to where rescue personnel could rappel onto the trail, or to hike in because of darkness and mud.

Firefighters returned by helicopter at about 6:15 a.m. Tuesday and saw the men through cloud breaks, but poor visibility and strong wind prevented them from getting closer. Two rescue personnel started to hike in, and after five miles they climbed off the path, helped the men back onto the trail and then hiked back down the trail together to a helicopter landing zone on the mountain side, Seelig said.

A fire helicopter picked up the men one at a time and brought them back to a field on Waimano Home Road at about 1:30 p.m.

They climbed out of the helicopter, smiling and muddy, and thanked firefighters after paramedics examined them. A woman who was waiting to pick them up said the hikers were tired and declined further comment.

“We’re glad that they’re home safe,” Seelig said.

Seelig urged hikers to carry a charged cellphone and be equipped with basic supplies in case they get stuck on a trail overnight, including warm clothing, food and water, and signaling equipment, such as a mirror, whistle or flashlight.

“Knowing the area that you’re hiking in is essential,” he said. “They really weren’t familiar with this trail, and that’s how they came to become lost.”