HONOLULU (AP) - A hiker has been rescued near the off-limits Haiku Stairs Trail on Oahu after reporting that she fell about 40 feet.
Hawaii Fire Department battalion Chief Mark Nakagawa said the 28-year-old woman called 911 on Saturday to report that she fell near the trail, also known as the Stairway to Heaven.
Rescue crews conducted an aerial search to locate the woman and her male companion, who was not injured.
“She was in a pretty tight spot,” Nakagawa said. “She was wedged between a mountain and a tree, so crews took extra time to secure her position.”
Both hikers were taken to the Kaneohe District Park landing zone. An update on the woman’s condition and the nature of her injuries has not been released.
Police arrived to investigate, but no citations were issued, according to Honolulu station KHON-TV (https://bit.ly/1X3pWcd ).
The Stairway to Heaven is a popular yet illegal hike. It has been closed for about 30 years but people still take the climb.
Nakagawa said it’s unclear whether the woman had gone on the stairs.
“We don’t actually know where she started out from,” Nakagawa said. “Initial reports are that she started out near or behind the State Hospital, so we don’t know if she was on a marked trail or an authorized or unauthorized trail.”
Vernon Ansdell, president of Friends of Haiku Stairs, said the stairs are safe and should be open to the public.
“In the past, it’s almost been unheard of for someone to get injured on the stairs,” he said. “You hear about people getting injured, trying to get on to the stairs, or maybe coming up from the Moanalua valley side, and getting injured or lost up there. But actually, on the stairs themselves, it’s incredibly safe.”
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Information from: KHON-TV, https://khon.com
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