Originally posted May 5, 2015

It’d been on my list of hikes to do in Maui for a while: the Commando hike. Cautioned never to attempt it without a local, I waited patiently for the opportunity to go. Everybody’s schedules finally aligned on Friday, but mother nature had other plans. It rained that morning, which means its absolutely not an option to do the hike. Not safe to hike up the river in high waters. We made the best of the day and hiked chutes and ladders on the west side of the island instead. Commando would have to wait.

Monday arrived. No rain since Friday, so Commando hike was finally happening. We met at Tomi’s place at 1 and reached the trailhead by 1:30. I lightened my pack since I knew we’d be swimming portions of the hike. Just some water, granola bars, matches, fire starter and duct tape. A quick jump over the fence, a swift walk past the no trespassing sign, and we were off. We walked out in high spirits. The seven of us had been yearning to experience this hike. Gabe, one of our ER transporters, was able to be our guide since he grew up here and had done the hike many times.  
The trail started as a dirt path through grass. Soon we were walking alongside a lake, and then it came time to jump in and swim across to where the trail continued. The path started back up through the woods, along the river. We were in the jungle, there was no denying it. The lushness of the brush and the great height of the trees- beauty that is untampered with by the hands of a resort landscaper. The real Hawaii is allowed to flourish here.
The sun and our spirits were high. When the path along the edge of the river was no longer traversable, we began walking up the river. We smiled as we slipped on the big rocks and made our way up. The first challenge we arrived at was the bottom of the first waterfall. It was a narrow crevasse we had to hoist ourselves up. It was approximately ten feet of rock we had to climb. The girls, Tomi, Sarah, Denise, and myself are inexpierenced climbers. Gabe climbed up first to show us how it’s done, then he came back down to assist the rest of us. Tomi went first, got half way up and slipped. She took a rest and I took the opportunity to go up. I made it up then Tomi got up successfully on her second attempt. Sarah and Denise went after us. They had a little more difficulty finding their footing. Vance climbed up, and then he and I pulled Denise up after she climbed halfway. Sarah followed her lead and Vance pulled her up with Spencer and Gabe guiding and protecting her from the bottom. We moved slowly and carefully. Working in the ER, we know that one fall can have a disastrous result. We went up the second waterfall in a similar manner. Shaking from the effort, we all sat for a water and snack break to recoup.

Next up was the lava tube. Our flashlights and headlamps were out now. The first chamber of the lava tube was slightly lit by the sun, but the additional chambers were pitch black. I climbed two small, narrow waterfalls. The second one truly tired me. I had very small places to grip and I used what little upper body strength I had left to complete this one. I waded and swam further into the tube while the boys continued helping the others up. I got to the end of this chamber and began to evaluate how we were going to tackle this portion of the waterfall. This one looked tricky. It looked like the best way to go would be to climb up the rock on the right, climb horizontally to the left behind the waterfall and then climb up the left side of the waterfall into the next chamber.
  

I glanced back to see how my friends were coming along, and then I looked back up to the waterfall to see if Icould find another way to climb up. But there suddenly wasn’t rock visible where I needed to climb up. Water was rushing out of the lava tube. Nothing was visible along that side of chamber except a solid wall of water. I swam back towards my friends, guiding myself along the rock edge. I had to start gripping the wall because the current was getting too strong, I was losing control. I came upon the rest of the group. I told them the water was rising and there was no way to continue and we had to turn back now. The group didn’t question me. Gabe started guiding the girls back through the narrow crevasse back down the waterfall. I watched Denise and Sarah each get swept under the water. I held my breath while they were under water until I saw their heads rise up, taking a breath of fresh air. Spencer, one of our ER scribes, helped pull them up out of the water and onto the side of the ravine. They began to climb as high as they could since we didn’t know how high the water would get. Tomi was next to try to leave the lava tube. One of the strongest girls in the group, she tried to maintain her grip and footing while exiting the lava tube. But the current pulled her under too. Gabe got to her and pulled her up out of the water and got her to safety with the other two girls. Now it was just me in the second chamber with Vance and Gabe remaining in the first chamber to help get me out. Vance was braced between the two sides of the crevasse to catch me if I got swept under. And it quickly did. The current pulled me down under water. I was unprepared to go under. I had convinced myself I was strong enough to get out of the lava tube without going under. I aspirated some water, and water was in my eyes irritating my contacts. My body crashed into Vance’s, but he held his ground and pulled my head above water. I coughed and gasped a breath of air. The water was in my eyes; everything was blurry. I kept blinking and blinking. Praying that my vision would return, not sure how I could ever get out of this cave alive without being able to see. In about a minute, my vision was back, but I could feel the current getting stronger, and so could Gabe and Vance. Vance showed me where to brace my legs and my arms to inch myself through the crevasse, but I didn’t have the strength to support myself, and my body kept coming loose and crashing against Vance’s. Gabe was further out at the entrance of the lava tube. The guys agreed- I had to let go. I had to let go and get pulled underwater for about 20 feet– hoping that Gabe could catch me. There was no alternative idea and no time. I said “no, I can’t.” I wondered what would happen if Gabe couldn’t catch me? I’d be pulled down the river with my head underwater and go over the first two waterfalls I had climbed. Not a comforting thought. They told me I had to do it, and I had to do it now.

It’s amazing how many thoughts can run through your head in just an instant. I had a few thoughts of regret. Maybe I should call my parents more and stay in touch with my friends better. I was surprised to find that I was comfortable with the thought of death. I thought to myself, “You’ve lived your life the way you wanted to. You traveled and got yourself into all sorts of adventures. If you die now, you died doing something you love”. With that peace of mind, I took a deep breath, hoped it wouldn’t be my last, and let go.
I got pulled under by the current, and twenty feet later, Gabe grabbed a hold of me. He pulled me up out of the water and lifted me onto the narrow ledge. I looked back to see Gabe and Vance get out of the water. All seven off us were now out of the river and onto the side of the steep, muddy, grassy ravine. The sides went up at least eighty feet. No chance of climbing up and out. I looked down at the river bed where I had been able to easily walk out five minutes before. The rocks we had walked on earlier were no longer visible. They were all covered by rushing water. It was hard to believe I was looking at the same river. Nobody could ever safely trek through with water that high and fast.
And then it started raining on us. Earlier, it must have started raining high up the volcano where we couldn’t see, so we had no idea of the dangerous flooding that had been rushing towards us. When it started raining where we were, we realized that we weren’t going to be able to move from the side of the ravine that night and maybe even tomorrow. At this point we were all separated, clinging to different rocks, mud, and bits of shrubbery. We were like frightened cats with our claws out, clinging to whatever we could find to feel secure. It was a little after five so we knew we only had another hour and a half of daylight to make our arrangements for the night. We all made it back down to the ledge at the bottom. It was small and uneven. I’m guessing it was no more than 3’x8′. There was room for a couple people to sit at one time and the rest had to stand or lean against the wall of the ravine. We started gathering whatever ferns we could reach to put on top of us in an attempt to keep ourselves warm. It worked for a little while but with our frequent repositioning and the constant rain, it did us little good. Some of us covered ourselves in mud hoping for a little protection from mosquitoes.
We watched the last of the sunlight slip away, wondering if anybody was going to realize we were missing tonight. We hoped that the latest people would realize would be at 11am when Denise was supposed to show up for work. Best case scenario was that Gabe’s parents or one of our friends realized we were missing and report it tonight. Sunset was at 6:45, and sunrise would be at 5:50. We had less than twelve hours of darkness to get through. Hopefully, at dawn, the water level would start going down so we could hike ourselves back out. There was no chance that it would be dry enough to light a signal fire with the fire starter I brought. In the meantime, all we were capable of doing was waiting. All we could do was try to wait calmly.
We tried singing a little bit, but we often could only remember part of a chorus before it tapered off. We made silly jokes and laughed about the awkward positions we found ourselves in. Gabe and Spencer were spooning each other due to lack of space. They wedged their slippers in between each other so they wouldn’t feel weird about their bodies being so close together. Vance ended up being my little spoon- which was unlucky for me because he was extremely gassy after eating a paleo bar. We would erupt into fits of laughter each time it happened. Then with the last dim rays of dusk, I figured I should sheeshee before it was even more dangerous because of the darkness. The only way to do it was for someone to grasp my hands while I squatted over the cliff above the swift moving water. There was no way to be dainty and just slide my shorts down around my thighs. They had to be fully off because I couldn’t risk losing my footing and falling in. I must say, the system worked pretty well, but we did laugh about how quickly we were going through our “bonding experiences” as relatively new travel friends.
The rain was relentless. It rained at least every hour. It seemed like our skin would be almost dry, allowing us to warm up just the slightest bit. Then it would start raining again. It was cruel. Our shaking and shivering never slowed. Our muscles getting more and more fatigued from that alone. I’m writing this from Tomi’s couch, under a warm blanket. I can hear the rain coming down now. It sends shivers through my body. Remembering how each time it began to rain, I felt just a little more of my hope slip away.
The group mostly split into pairs holding each other for warmth. Sarah and Denise, Gabe and Spencer, and Vance and myself. Tomi sometimes sat in the middle sheltered by the group or joined different duos for warmth.

Vance kept me laughing most of the night. We stood there swaying, holding each other as close as we could to maintain as much heat as possible. “Don’t say I never took you out to dance under the moonlight.” I rubbed his back trying to create some heat from friction. I laughed telling him since he had about no body fat, it was going to have to be me that created the heat!
At 3:50AM, Vance asked to borrow my headlamp. He started shining it at the top of the ravine. We were all wondering why he was doing that, but we soon saw why. There was a very bright beam of light up there. We shouted out to them and the light fell upon us. They said they were calling the police and that we just had to hang in there til daylight. They said “don’t move!” As if that was even an option! It was such a relief knowing that help was coming, I got emotional and teared up for the first time. I got right back to my calm composure though, because I knew we still had several hours to get through before daylight.
We had more hope knowing rescue was soon going to be a reality. But the remaining hours still seemed worse for me. The rain and wind seemed to be picking up. We were all getting colder. We could see the fatigue in each other. We cautiously watched the ones that were standing. The shaking was often so much and the fatigue so great I was terrified that a friend or myself was going to collapse right into the river and over the waterfall. I had woken up at 4am the day before. Tomi had done crossfit right before the hike. Spencer and Gabe had worked overnight the day before and only slept an hour before hiking. We hadn’t planned on such a long, exhausting experience. The sun rose, but it seemed insensitive to our plight. It offered us no warmth. The rain continued and each gust of wind seemed to be a personal insult. Our eyes anxiously scanned the sky for a glimpse of a chopper. The sun had risen at 5:50, and now it was 6:20. Did they do their rescue missions on island time too? Then we heard it. The most beautiful sound in the world. The chopper had arrived. The bright yellow helicopter flew above us and the crew waved at us. They went out of view for just a moment then returned with the bucket filled with two rescue crew members. One of them hopped out of the bucket to join us on the ledge. There wasn’t much room and we quickly grabbed on to him to secure him. They took us out one at a time. Flying up out of the ravine was a beautiful sight. I knew I was finally safe and I could see for miles. The rain was pelting my skin but the rescuer tried to shield me with his body. The chopper dropped us off at the trailhead where our cars were parked. 

  
The firemen gave us their jackets and put us in the truck where they had turned the heat all the way up. They began checking our temperatures. Mine was one of the highest at 96.3. Tomi’s temperature was too low to register. Spencer’s was 94.5. They recommended we all go to the ER, but we naturally refused. We were all ER staff, and we had zero interest in going in to work on our day off.  The medics were radioing back to Maui Memorial to update our friends. Our friends in the ER wasted no time radioing back cheeky comments. We laughed and smiled. Say whatever you want now that we are safe and warm.

We all quickly parted ways. Vance took Tomi home. She showered and went over to her boyfriends place. Sarah and Denise went back to their place together. Gabe went home to his parents, and Spencer to his roommates. I sure didn’t want to be alone. I invited myself to Vance’s place.
A hot shower has never felt so good. I scrubbed my body for quite a while trying to get all that mud off of me. I dried off, got into some clean clothes. Ate the most amazing PB&J I had ever tasted (I’m sure hunger had nothing to do with it), and I fell asleep immediately. I woke up frequently, despite being exhausted my body was still tense from the experience. I couldn’t relax enough to let myself sleep peacefully.
The rest of the day was surreal. Did that really happen? Questioning every call and every step I took. I replay every moment in my mind. The event will never be perfectly preserved in my mind or writing. There are too many details to try to retain. But I will remember, next time I go hiking- I won’t be as concerned about lightening my pack.  And I will retain that moment of clarity forever.  Knowing that I looked death in the eyes and was able to find peace, I will continue to follow my truth.  If I do that, next time I face death, I will again be ready.

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I’d like to take a moment to say ‘Thank you.’  To my six friends, Vance, Spencer, Gabe, Sara, Denise, and Tomi:  I couldn’t have been stranded with a better group of people.  Thanks for keeping your cool and snuggling with me on that rock ledge all night long.  Thank you to Gabe’s parents, I appreciate you looking for your son and alerting people that  something may be wrong.  Thank you to Niki, you spotted Gabe’s car at the trail head and realized that we probably weren’t camping overnight in the rain for funsies. Thank you East Maui Irrigation for walking the access road in the middle of the night and finding us.  Seeing you was an unbelievable wave of relief.  To the Maui Fire Department and Rescue Crew: You guys are amazing!!  You risked your safety to rescue us off that ledge.  I have no words that capture the depth of my gratitude.  I recall one of you saying, “We’re just really excited that this was a rescue mission and not a recovery mission like it usually is here.”  I’m pretty stoked about that too!!  We went the following day to bring you doughnuts, and somehow you ended up making us breakfast and showing us the firehouse.  Your kindness seems limitless.  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!