Kaua’i first responders again called to Kalalau Trail for injured hiker rescue

The rescue of an injured 30-year-old visitor Sunday from the famous 11-mile Kalalau Trail along Nā Pali Coast became the seventh incident since March 23 in the area requiring Kaua‘i first responders to assist.

Personnel with Līhu‘e Fire Station aboard Air 1 responded after a report of a distressed hiker was received shortly before 11 a.m.

First responders arrived at the scene and discovered the injured hiker at the upper camp shelter of Hanakoa.

Because of trail conditions, the hiker was short hauled to the Hanakoa landing zone, where she was then loaded onboard. The woman was then loaded into the helicopter and taken to Princeville Airport.

She was transferred to American Medical Response crew members awaiting at Princeville Airport for medical care.

It was less than a month before, April 18, when a distressed 67-year-old South Carolina visitor was rescued amid inclement weather, specifically flooding.

Prior to that, the other five incidents were:

• Emergency personnel responded to Kalalau Trail on April 8 after the report of a 48-year-old Tennessee visitor who was showing signs of apparent heat exhaustion.
• A Utah visitor suffering from a leg injury was rescued the afternoon of March 23 from about 1.5 miles into the trail.
• An Ohio visitor was rescued March 27 from near Hanakāpī‘ai Beach after suffering a shoulder injury while on the trail.
• Dozens of hikers were stranded on the trail overnight April 3 after heavy rains caused Hanakāpī‘ai Stream to become too dangerous to cross. With no one needing medical attention, first responders advised the about 50 hikers to shelter in place to wait for water levels to recede and then hike out the next morning.
• Three visitors — one from Germany, another from California and one from Canada — were rescued April 4 amid inclement weather after suffering injuries that were not life-threatening. The trail was also closed at the time, following the stranding of about 50 hikers the night before.