For adventure, Patrick Bruno planned a hike to the center of Kaua’i during the New Year’s holiday weekend. The hike to Mt. Waialeale, among the wettest spots in the world, was almost the last for Bruno, a hiker of 20
For adventure, Patrick Bruno planned a hike to the center of Kaua’i during the New Year’s holiday weekend.
The hike to Mt. Waialeale, among the wettest spots in the world, was almost the last for Bruno, a hiker of 20 years in Arizona and Kaua’i.
Bruno, 36, of Lihu’e, got lost on a remote, mountain trail on Dec. 30 and spent two nights in the wilderness before he was found two days later by a search helicopter on New Year’s Day.
The Kapa’a Middle School teacher, suffering from exhaustion, dehydration and the flu during his ordeal, said thoughts of his wife and young child kept him alive. Bruno was later treated at Wilcox Memorial Hospital and was released.
He expects to meet with his rescuers this month to discuss the search and rescue operation to generate information to help prevent others from getting lost while hiking on Kaua’i.
Bruno said he hopes his story will serve as a warning that hiking alone can lead to a life-and-death situation.
Bruno decided to take the 10-mile hike because he liked hiking alone, the solitude and peace and “because I have never hiked on that road before. It was an adventure.”
On the morning of Dec. 30, Bruno drove on Mohihi Road in Koke’e State Park and then parked his car by Berry Flats Trail and hitchhiked because the road was muddy.
He caught a ride in a four-wheel drive vehicle to Kohua Ridge Trail and walked to the end of Mohihi Road, the starting point for his hike.
The hiking trail, overgrown in some spots by vegetation and trees that hide the sun, is seldom used because of its remoteness. The trail meanders through forestry areas managed by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
For his trip, Bruno stashed in his backpack equipment he felt would help in any emergency: A signal mirror, a whistle, a compass, snacks, an emergency “space blanket” and fleece jacket.
At 8:30 a.m., Bruno, wearing a red top, shorts and hiking boots, began his trek under cloudy skies and rain. Because he was still recovering from the flu and wanted to go only on a day-hike, he decided to walk five miles in and five miles, wanting to finish the hike by sundown.
Bruno said he had no trouble walking the first two miles because the road was clearly marked. The next two miles to Koaie Camp, however, were overgrown, making it more difficult to traverse. But he forged ahead.
From the camp, he hiked another 1.5 miles before he decided to turn around and head home under “rainy and chilly conditions,” Bruno recalled.
He made it back to Koaie Camp and continued walking to the top of a mountain ridge. At that point, he said, he the trail was hard to follow because of vegetation.
Bruno walked in a circle and became troubled when he came across his footprints. He circled the area a second time and when “I saw my footprints, I knew I was lost and was in trouble.”
The terrain looked different on the way back, and a canopy of trees along the trail prevented him from getting his bearings, Bruno said. About 2:30 p.m. he pulled out a compass, but with no sure directions to work with, he hiked to a stream, figuring it would lead to the ocean and civilization.
Bruno walked in waist-deep water to get back to Mohihi Road, but with nighttime approaching, he decided to “hunker down.” By 5 p.m. he found refuge under a tree on a wet hillside.
To conserve heat, he wrapped himself in a space blanket, which he attributed to saving his life.
“I don’t know how cold it was, but it was freezing. I was soaked from wading in the stream,” Bruno said. “I was afraid I was going to die.”
His biggest fear, Bruno said, “was leaving my wife and child,” a thought that haunted him all night but “also kept me going.”
Bruno said he woke up at 7 a.m. Dec. 31 to sunny skies, which buoyed his optimism.
He walked once again in the stream, but scraped himself badly against ferns and thorn-tipped raspberry bushes.
At the same time, his provisions were getting low. After finishing the gallon of water he brought on the hike, Bruno said he drank water that seeped through the hillside. He figured it had percolated through the ground and was safer to drink than untreated water from streams.
Around noon, Bruno said, he hiked to the top of a waterfall and remained there to be visible to rescuers.
The search, which started after Bruno’s wife called authorities to report he had not returned from his trip by Sunday, involved helicopters from Pacific Missile Range Facility and Air-One, the Kaua’i County Police and a search dog team led by Riko Taniguchi.
With no rescue in sight, Bruno said, he slept under the rootball of a tree by the waterfall. He awoke shortly before midnight to usher in the New Year, and found comfort from thinking about his wife.
Search helicopters flew over him numerous times New Year’s Day, but none of the pilots could see him, Bruno said, even though he waved frantically and blew his whistle repeatedly.
“I tried to light signal fires on the hillside to draw their attention, but the wet undergrowth could only burn so much,” Bruno said.
At 2:15 p.m., Bruno was spotted from the air by rescue personnel aboard the Air-One helicopter operated by owner-pilot Ken D’Atilio.
Fire and rescue member Daryl Date was long-lined to Bruno’s location, where the hiker was stabilized and was airlifted to safety. He was taken by a private vehicle to the hospital.
Bruno said up until the Koke’e mishap, he had never been lost hiking. If he goes back to the area for another hike, he said he would bring along a companion for safety reasons.
“I was prepared, I had experience,” he said. “I didn’t expect to encounter any problems. But you never know.”
Staff writer Lester Chang can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net
