Firefighters respond to call from Koolau hikers in distress
Firefighters responded to a call this evening from two hikers in the Koolau Mountains in the vicinity of the Stairway to Heaven trail.
Fire Capt. David Jenkins said the two women in their mid-20s started hiking up the Koolaus from Moanalua Valley at about 10 a.m. today.
The Fire Department got the call at about 8:49 p.m., but conditions are too hazardous to launch a helicopter in the dark and search for the women.
Jenkins said they were on the Koolau ridgeline looking down on the H-3 freeway.
Firefighters went to the Moanalua Valley Park and a rescue crew began hiking up to the women shortly after 10 p.m., but they will assess the safety of the 4 1/2-mile hike as they make their way up in the darkness.
The women were in a relatively safe place, and did not have any injuries or medical emergencies.
He said they were instructed to stay where they were, and might be asked to hunker down for the night.
If the crew finds it too dangerous to continue, they will likely resume the search at daybreak, possibly with the help of Air 1, Jenkins said.
4 responses to “Firefighters respond to call from Koolau hikers in distress”
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Smart hikers; communication tools well used and further dangerous movement prevented.
Have a toll booth at every trail entrance to off set the cost of compensating the rescue team.
Please make these hikers pay for HFD time. Remember hikers, use your brains. We are coming so close to the holidays. These men and women are risking their lives for you stupid people. They are someone’s son or daughter, wife or husband, mother and father. Fine these two girls. Dump and Dummier.
I will give you good odds that these are inexperienced hikers who exercised poor judgment and got in trouble by trail blazing. If this is so we should send them the bill for the rescue efforts. A 4.5 mile trail starting at supposed trailhead at 10:00 a.m. and not completing before dusk…no injuries…they should have taken a less challenging on marked trail.