Another hiker rescued from Kalalau Trail along Nā Pali Coast

Kaua‘i first responders for the fifth time in less than 4 weeks responded April 8 after receiving yet another report of a hiker in distress on the famous 11-mile Kalalau Trail along Nā Pali Coast.

This time, it was a 48-year-old Tennessee visitor in need of rescue from the trail on Kaua‘i’s North Shore.

Responding to the scene were personnel with Hanalei Fire Station and Kaua‘i Ocean Safety Bureau along with an ambulance crew from American Medical Response.

Firefighters and Kaua‘i County lifeguards hiked about 1 mile into the trail to find the man, who was showing signs of apparent heat exhaustion.

He was making slow but steady progress toward the trailhead and was able to make it out just after sunset.

American Medical Response personnel assessed the hiker and found no medical care was necessary.

The scene was cleared shortly after 7:30 p.m.

Kaua‘i Fire Department has recently reported four other incidents of more than 50 hikers in distress or being stranded on the popular trail since March 23, several of them also visitors.

A Utah visitor suffering from a leg injury was rescued the afternoon of March 23 from about 1.5 miles into the trail.

Kaua‘i first responders rescued an Ohio visitor from near Hanakāpī‘ai Beach after the hiker suffered a shoulder injury while on the trail March 27.

Dozens of hikers were stranded on the trail overnight April 3 after heavy rains that day 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.

Crews with the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources remained at the scene, with Kaua‘i Fire Department personnel on standby. State officials confirmed that about 50 individuals made it out of the trail the morning of April 4. There were no injuries.

The trail was subsequently closed later that day because of the threat of more rain and inclement weather forecast to move over the island during the weekend.

Three visitors — one from Germany, another from California and one from Canada — were rescued April 4 amid inclement weather, while the trail was still closed, after suffering injuries that were not life-threatening.

“We continue to urge outdoor enthusiasts to avoid hiking during severe weather, as it can put them and our first responders at risk,” said Kaua‘i Fire Chief Michael Gibson in the Kaua‘i Fire Department about the three hikers being rescued.