Cellphone light leads rescuers to 31-year-old hiker lost on trail, Hawaii officials say

A 31-year-old lost hiker was rescued off a trail in Hawaii after shining his cellphone light, Hawaii fire officials said.

On Dec. 25, the Honolulu Fire Department received a report of a lost hiker on the Paumalu Gulch Trail near the Sunset Beach area, according to a news release by the Honolulu Fire Department.

The hiker had started his trek about an hour earlier, around 5:20 p.m., officials said.

His phone only had 15% battery life so “a new geolocation was secured from it in the event it became inoperable,” according to the news release.

Honolulu fire officials started their search in the air due to low visibility, according to the release.

After spotting the man’s phone light, officials made verbal contact and sent rescuers down to him around 7:11 pm., officials said.

Fire officials said it would be too hard to get him back on the trail, so they decided to airlift him to a nearby landing zone.

The rescuers and the hiker landed around 7:32 p.m., officials said. He was uninjured.

“The Paumalu Gulch Trail is very popular since it provides an elevated vantage point to see the sunset on the North Shore of the island of Oahu,” Malcolm K. Medrano, a spokesperson with the Honolulu Fire Department, told McClatchy News. “Since it is frequented by locals and visitors, we respond to rescue emergencies at that location often.”

The Honolulu Fire Department reminds hikers to bring a fully charged phone with an external back-up battery, stay on the trail and to stay put if you get lost especially after dark, according to the news release.

This story was originally published December 27, 2022 at 12:13 PM with the headline "Cellphone light leads rescuers to 31-year-old hiker lost on trail, Hawaii officials say."