WAILUKU - Experienced horseman Edward "Eddie" Wilson was identified Tuesday as the man who fell to his death while riding his horse in Haleakala Crater on Monday afternoon.
The accident occurred as Wilson, a 65-year-old Kula resident, was riding about halfway down Halemau'u Trail, said Haleakala National Park management assistant Naaman Horn. Wilson was with a party of family and friends and was the only one on horseback. The horse also died in a fall of about 100 feet. Weather conditions were cloudy, Horn said.
Horn said the exact cause of the accident remained under investigation.
On Tuesday, Wilson's friends mourned his loss and said that Wilson and his horse, Ms. Bud, had been on the trail numerous times and had just been in the crater the week before Monday.
"I'm surprised. He's so good with that horse, so skilled with that horse," said friend Alan Forsyth, who went hiking with Wilson on the trail last year.
Forsyth said that if Wilson was going to die, that would be the place to go because Wilson had a special bond with Haleakala and became calm while in the crater as though he had a spiritual connection with the place.
"He loved the crater. He was in his own place when he was there," Forsyth said. "He was in the zone."
Wilson's longtime friend Tim Gunter of Wailuku, who was supposed to have gone with Wilson to the crater this week and last, said Ms. Bud was 28 years old and was getting old but knew the trail well.
Park staff received a call about the accident at 1 p.m. Monday, and backcountry patrol rangers were diverted from other areas of the crater to the accident scene, according to the National Park Service.
A Maui Fire Department rescue crew and the Air One helicopter also responded to the scene. However, because of cloudy conditions, the recovery of Wilson's body was postponed until first light Tuesday.
Halemau'u Trail was closed overnight and early Tuesday while park rangers investigated the accident. The trail was later reopened.
Halemau'u is a steep and scenic trail used by hikers to get in and out of the northwest region of the crater. Hikes could last for several hours. Friends said that while in the crater, Wilson was on horseback and usually led the group that was hiking with him.
Attempts to reach Wilson's family were unsuccessful Tuesday.
Friends said Wilson used to be affectionately called "Too Tall" as he was 6 feet 8 inches tall and often wore cowboy boots and a cowboy hat.
"There's so many people who knew Eddie and consider him (a) friend. If he knew you, he knew your kids, your parents and their parents," said Gunter. "He has friends all over the nation."
Gunter, who had known Wilson for more than 30 years, said Wilson was the sheriff at the annual Fourth of July parade in Makawao and often played the trumpet at funerals.
Wilson also played a lot of other instruments, including ukulele and guitar, and formerly taught music in Hana and at King Kekaulike High School, Gunter said.
Sam Viveiros knew Wilson from back in the 1970s and said the two entertained at the former Margarita's restaurant and bar in Wailuku.
"The thing I remember about him, he had a lot of talent. He would play the ukulele with his left and (then switch to) his right hand. He kept his rhythm. . . . He didn't miss a stroke," Viveiros said.
Viveiros, who was a longtime rodeo and polo announcer, said Wilson also had a "kolohe" side and once during the '70s, Wilson rode his horse along Kula Highway and raced Viveiros in his car. "He was a rascal," he said.
Wilson owned several horses, including a former racehorse, Viveiros said.
Friends also said Wilson was head of the visitors bureau on Maui before it was named the Maui Visitors Bureau and perhaps was the first who came up with the slogan, "Here today, gone to Maui."
Forsyth said he enjoyed Wilson's company, and the last time he saw Wilson was at a friend's house Saturday as the friends watched a basketball game together.
"He was the life of the party," Forsyth said. "He would always make you laugh."
Forsyth added: "Maui's going to be a duller place."
* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com. City Editor Brian Perry contributed to this report.
