Man rescued after getting lost on Lanai
The Maui News – A man who became lost after taking an off-road trail on Lanai’s eastern coast was rescued Sunday morning after spending the night on a ridge near Munro Trail, a fire official said.
The man, a construction worker from Colorado living on Lanai temporarily for work, was driving along Keomoku Road on the island’s eastern coast when he took an off-road trail, mistakenly thinking it led back to Lanai City, said Fire Services Chief Edward Taomoto. After his vehicle became stuck in the mud, he continued walking up the mountain until he encountered thick, impassable vegetation, Taomoto said.
With darkness approaching, the man called for help, Taomoto said.
He said Lanai firefighters were notified at 6:07 p.m. Saturday that the man was lost near Munro Trail, which travels across the mountain watershed, known as Lanai Hale.
Fire crews searched Saturday night but couldn’t find the man because of dense fog, heavy rain and extremely windy conditions “that made it near impossible to see or hear a person calling out,” Taomoto said. He said firefighters spoke with the man by cellphone and told him to stay put so firefighters could return at first light Sunday.
By using his phone’s GPS location feature, firefighters could pinpoint the man’s location, Taomoto said.
When low-lying clouds lifted Sunday morning, firefighters spotted the man on the ridge not far below Munro Trail, Taomoto said.
The man was airlifted to safety by the Fire Department’s rescue helicopter at 7:51 a.m., Taomoto said. He said firefighters gave the man a ride down the mountain.
The man, who is in his 30s, was uninjured but cold from being in the rain overnight, Taomoto said.