Thursday, May 24, 2012
Friends identify hiker who died on Olomana Trail
POSTED: 11:47 a.m. HST, Apr 25, 2011
LAST UPDATED: 09:40 p.m. HST, Apr 25, 2011
Friends of a 44-year-old man who apparently fell to his death while hiking the Olomana Trail Sunday identified the victim as Ryan Suenaga of Kaneohe, a social worker for Kaiser Permanente Hawaii and an active and widely followed member of Hawaii's social media community.
"Kasier Hawaii is grieving the tragic loss of our own Ryan Suenaga," said Janet Liang, president of Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, on her Twitter.
Friends who were hiking with Suenaga said he fell in a treacherous section of the trail between the second and third peaks.
Honolulu Fire Department rescue personnel were called to the trail when a group of six other hikers reported that the man had become separated from them during their hike.
HFD spokesperson Capt. Gary Lum said an HFD helicopter spotted the man about 150 feet below the saddle connecting the two peaks. A helicopter lowered a rescue crew to the scene and retrieved Suenaga's body.
