Firefighters find fallen hiker at Lanipo after rescuing her dog
Honolulu firefighters on Monday rescued a hiker who had fallen more than 170 feet below a trail above Kaimuki after finding her dog alone on a mountain slope.
The Honolulu Fire Department received a 911 call at 3:04 p.m. for a missing hiker on the Lanipo Trail at Mauna Lani Heights. Six units with about 17 personnel responded, including the Air 1 helicopter, for the search and rescue operation.
Hikers had reported a barking dog on a mountain slope about two hours from the trailhead without its handler.
Using the geolocation of the 911 caller, Air 1 visually located the dog, and a rescuer rappelled about 20 feet down the slope to retrieve it at 3:55 p.m.
The Air 1 pilot noticed an object another 70 feet below where the dog was found, so the rescuer rappeled down the slope again to find a bag filled with personal items.
However, the owner of the dog could not be reached by the phone number listed on the dog’s collar.
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After determining that the dog’s owner was not at home and that her car was still at the trailhead, HFD continued a coordinated search by ground and air.
Firefighters at 5:37 p.m. found the owner — a 35-year-old woman — another 100 feet below where her bag was located, under thick foliage.
Following a medical assessment and basic life support treatment, rescuers airlifted the woman to the nearby landing zone at about 6 p.m., where her care was transferred to Emergency Medical Services.
EMS transported her to the hospital in serious condition.