![Missing hiker found alive in Hawaii. [Image source/CBS Evening News YouTube video]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2019/5/27/660x290/b_502x220x82/missing-hiker-found-alive-in-hawaii-image-sourcecbs-evening-news-youtube-video_2270057.jpg "Missing hiker found alive in Hawaii. [Image source/CBS Evening News YouTube video]")
Amanda Eller's boyfriend reported about her going missing when she failed to keep her dinner date. She is a yoga teacher from the Maui town of Haiku in Hawaii and her relatives and friends had lost all hopes of ever seeing her when they received the news that she had been located. The area was in a dense forest and she survived the ordeal by virtue of her determination to fight against all odds. It seems she slept in the den of a boar, ate wild fruits and quenched her thirst from a stream nearby that she was following.
The Guardian reports that rescue teams consisting of volunteers, police, firefighters and search dogs spread out in all directions starting from the trailhead parking lot where she had parked her car.
They used every known locating device like cadaver dogs, drones, all-terrain vehicles and helicopters. Ultimately, a search party in a helicopter struck pay dirt. They rescued her and shifted her to a hospital where she is recuperating.
Amanda Eller set off on what she thought would be a quick trek. She spent the next 17 days desperately trying to stay alive. #7NEWS https://t.co/85ViLI1oRu
— 7NEWS Brisbane (@7NewsBrisbane) May 26, 2019
Amanda Eller narrated her ordeal
She parked her car in the parking lot and began to wander around. After some time she realized she had lost her way and was unable to get back to her car. That realization dawned on her after two days. On the third day, she met with an accident.
She slipped, fell from a height, broke her leg, and injured her knee. Then came her efforts to locate drinking water and find some sort of food. The next day, she lost her shoes in a flash flood.
Amanda Eller, a woman who was lost in a forest in Hawaii for 17 days, was found alive by rescuers on Friday afternoon. "I wanted to give up. But the only option I had was life or death," she said. https://t.co/x4N2TVMvD6
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 25, 2019
The Guardian adds that nighttime temperatures in the area of north Maui where Amanda Eller was found could reach a low of 60F (15C).
The humidity would also be in the low 80s with frequent rains. The clothes she wore were not sufficient to protect her against such extreme conditions. When she felt hungry, she would rely on local fruits like wild strawberry guavas. A search team in a helicopter in the Makawao Forest Reserve trailhead finally sighted her. Amanda confided to one of her friends that she had heard many helicopters flying overhead but was not able to make contact with any of them.
It was nothing short of a miracle
According to ABC AU, the 35-year-old Amanda Eller of Hawaii was lucky to have survived for more than two weeks after losing her way in a forest on Maui Island. She suffered injuries and rescuers found her in the Makawao Forest Reserve after 17 days. It is similar to the rescue of the boys in the Thailand cave who had also been missing for 17 days. Amanda was in the bed of a creek with waterfalls on either side. The area had thick vegetation. Her father confirmed that the Rescue Team airlifted her to safety. Her car was in the forest parking lot with her phone and wallet inside. Amanda’s mother expressed her thanks to the community and said – “I couldn't be more grateful for the community…. Our daughter has come home to us, and in a wonderful condition."
