The Boy Scouts got it right: Be prepared.

When heading into Hawaii’s wilderness, that means checking the weather forecast, bringing adequate supplies and equipment, knowing the needs of companions with medical conditions, informing friends and family of your hiking plans so they’ll know if something’s amiss and being aware of the potential hazards and what to do when in trouble.

"Planning and preparedness are really important," said Maury Agcaoili, a wilderness and remote first-aid instructor for the American Red Cross Hawaii State Chapter. "People are out there to have fun, so definitely have fun but just be prepared for the dangers on these trails."

Agcaoili first became interested in the outdoors as a Boy Scout, and he carried the lessons he learned in his youth into his job with the Red Cross. During his quarterly classes he takes participants into a rain-forest environment to face different emergency scenarios.

"The biggest mistake (hikers make) is thinking that they can do more than they really can and not being prepared," he said.

Another is failing to bring enough water for everyone in the hiking party, not only to avoid dehydration, but for cleaning wounds and other purposes.

Other necessities — no matter how easy or short the adventure — include a first-aid kit and means of communication, whether it’s a cellphone, whistle, signal mirror or brightly colored cloth.

But don’t count on phone reception in remote areas. Agcaoili advises checking for reception every mile or two and noting the location so that in the event of an emergency, hikers can backtrack to that spot.

If packing a lot of supplies seems like a hassle, break up the load among the group members so it’s manageable, he said.

Although a knowledgeable outdoorsman, Agcaoili still enjoys familiar hikes such as the trail to Diamond Head summit.

Because it’s in an urban setting and well publicized, some hikers underestimate the trek and may not realize it could take an hour or more for rescue crews to reach an injured person, he said.

"It’s one of the easier ones, but even then I see people going up with no water or hiking in slacks and dress shoes."

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