Social media spur rise in risky scenic hiking

On any given day there are dozens of Instagram posts about unsanctioned hikes such as Makapuu Tom Tom, a popular spot to take selfies by a puka, and Haiku Stairs, the shuttered staircase that scales high up the Koolau Mountains, which requires trespassing.

Nevertheless, a search for #haikustairs on Instagram yields more than 34,000 posts, with new ones as recent as March 5.

These social media posts are just part of the plethora of information available online, as well as in blogs and apps that feature photos and make the location of trails available, with GPS coordinates, at one’s fingertips.

The problem with that, according to Aaron Lowe, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ trails and access specialist, is that none of it is filtered.

“Anyone’s basically able to post any type of information about a trail that they hiked on regardless of jurisdiction trespass, hazard or maintenance,” he said. “Other people have access to that infor­mation and see it’s a beautiful place, are intrigued and want to go regardless of whether it could have a risk and be extremely dangerous.”

Within the past decade, Lowe said, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of the state trails, as well as people going to places that are obviously dangerous, among both visitors and locals alike.

A typical example occurred Sunday, when Honolulu Fire Department rescue crews extracted two hikers, a male and a female, who were stuck in a steep clearing left of the Haiku Stairs trail. The 911 call came in just before noon.

Crews flew in via the Air 1 helicopter and extracted the two via a sling and took them to a landing zone at Kaneohe District Park, the department said by email.

The department is also responding to an uptick in calls for help from injured and wayward hikers compared with 15 years ago, according to veteran rescue Capt. Peter Akiona. During 2017 the department responded to 367 hike-related calls.

“The fact of the matter is there’s just more people on the trails of Oahu,” said Akiona.

Calls for help from hikers vary, but a high number come from trails popular with tourists as well as unsanctioned trails. Depending on the situation, firefighters go in by foot or deploy a helicopter to rescue hikers. Generally, 12 to 17 personnel respond to hiking-related search and rescue calls.

A state bill seeking more funding for the Na Ala Hele trails said search and rescue operations cost about $1,500 an hour.

Trails with most calls

Firefighters responded most often — 59 times — to distressed hikers at Diamond Head Crater, a popular tourist destination, over the past year. They responded 29 times to Kaiwa Ridge, more popularly known as the “Lanikai Pillbox” trail, 24 times to the Koko Crater tram tracks and 10 times to the forbidden Haiku Stairs.

At Diamond Head there are mostly cases of underlying medical conditions, heat exhaustion and dehydration, according to Akiona.

But there are also falls from steep drop-offs at dangerous hikes such as Pali Notches, resulting in serious injuries, which also put firefighters in danger. Firefighters are also responding more to previously lesser- known venues like Lulu­mahu Falls, popular for its waterfall.

In January, within a two-week span, firefighters airlifted three hikers who fell from Pali Notches, which leads to the summit of Konahuanui, the highest point in the Koolaus. On Jan. 12 a 32-year-old man hurt his back and leg after falling about 75 feet from the trail, and on Jan. 15 a 33-year-old man injured his ankle falling about 20 feet due to rope failure. On Jan. 24 a 20-year-old man sustained head injures after falling 20 feet from between the second and third notches of the trail.

“They don’t have a good knowledge of the trails,” said Akiona. “They see it on the internet, and when they get up there it’s more than what they expected.”

And yes, a few were reportedly taking selfies when they fell.

Many people hitting the trails are simply unprepared, according to veteran hiker Marcus Griego of Honolulu.

“People are places where they shouldn’t be, and people aren’t prepared,” said Griego, who has hiked numerous trails, including Pali Notches. “They don’t have the right gear.”

A recent Instagram post, for instance, shows a woman at Pali Notches using her full weight on what appears to be a frayed and weathered rope while scaling down a rock face. Griego always brings his own ropes for safety. He’s also seen people hiking the Notches in slippers.

Kelly Quin of Kalihi, an avid hiker, has seen women going up Diamond Head Crater in high heels. Another time, she saw a family trying to climb over the Koko Crater arch wearing Converse- style shoes without the proper grip.

Ralph Valentino, coordinator for the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club, sees groups of millennials going off trail more often than before. Rather than go with a club, they can easily and spontaneously organize their own hikes.

“The Pandora’s Box is open, so the information is out there,” he said.

The problem is that social media posts do not necessarily address the various fitness and hiking levels of individuals, or hazards or varying weather conditions. There may be photos of a beautiful vista or waterfall, he said, but the social media author does not necessarily mention the stream crossings or slippery areas.

There are also the risks that hikers, knowingly or unknowingly, take just to get that awesome photo. That has happened with dire results at the top of Manoa Falls and the first waterfall on Kaau Crater Trail.

Valentino recalls a few years ago when a female hiker fell from the puka at Makapuu Tom Tom, now closed, in East Oahu.

If you take a photo in front of the puka, you are protected by the rock wall, he said. If not, you would have to either crawl over or through the puka to get to the other side, which is on a ledge by a steep drop-off. Nevertheless, numerous Instagram posts show people posing from above as well as behind the puka, taking that same risk.

The unintended consequences of hiker accidents, he said, is the loss of trail access.

Use common sense

People should be aware of their limits, according to Justin Stevens, founder of Hiking Oahu Trailblazers, a group mostly in their 20s and 30s.

For the most part, Stevens has seen the benefits of people hiking together, but occasionally, he has had to turn someone away because they were unprepared.

“Really use common sense and understand the risks,” he said, “and preferably go with someone who’s actually done it before and can guide you through it, especially Hawaii hikes. Hawaii hikes are nothing like mainland hikes that are manicured.”

A number of 911 calls also come from hikers who panic upon realizing they will not make it off a trail by sundown. Some think a hike only takes two hours when it’s four or six, which can depend on speed, skill and weather conditions.

Justin Brackett, founder of the nonprofit Oahu Search and Rescue, got a recent call from a father whose son and friend were in that predicament. The group recommends calling 911 first but responds to family requests when other options have been exhausted.

In that case both boys were Eagle Scouts and were equipped to spend the night on the trail, which is what rescuers often suggest when conditions are not ideal for a search. They, like many hikers, were able to walk out uninjured the next morning.

Founded a few years ago in the wake of two lost teens, the group also educates the public about safety. It lists 12 items every hiker should carry with them, including a map and compass. The group also does “trail angeling,” which includes handing out water at Diamond Head Crater.

Brackett maintains a public service announcement on hiking safety on airline flights to Hawaii and hotel rooms could be beneficial.

Rather than blame social media, however, he sees it as a potentially useful tool. Hikers, for instance, should file a plan with someone, letting them know the location of their hike and expected exit time, and could easily share this on Facebook.

Valentino recommends going with a club first to get acquainted with a trail, then returning with a group of friends, armed with that knowledge, as a more responsible way of hiking.

Lowe at DLNR encourages hikers to stay on the state-maintained Na Ala Hele trails system, which offers about 41 different options on Oahu, and detailed information on its newly updated website, hawaiitrails.org.