Visitors Rescued at ʻĪao Valley After Becoming Disoriented on Hike

‘Iao Valley, photo by Wendy Osher.

Two visitors were rescued at ʻĪao Valley State Park on Tuesday night after they became disoriented and were unable to find their way back after darkness set in, fire officials said.

According to department reports, Wailuku fire crews responded to the incident after extinguishing a nearby brush fire on Eha Street.

According to department reports, the hikers could not get cell phone reception near the stream, so one of them scaled a ridge to get a better signal and contacted 911 dispatchers.

Emergency dispatchers were able to get GPS coordinates from the lost hikers’ cell phone after they called for help at 6:42 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015.

Authorities say Wailuku firefighters eventually found the man and woman near the stream, about a half-mile beyond the end of the trail.

Firefighters walked the lost hikers out to the main parking lot, reportedly reaching the area at around 8 p.m.

Officials say the hikers were visiting Maui from Maryland.  They did not require medical attention.