DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Steven Sandry and his dog Sandy exited the helicopter rescue basket yesterday at Schofield Air Assault School. Sandry and Russell Chee found three missing hikers.

Wahiawa trio is
fine after spending
night in Ewa
Forest Reserve

They got caught by darkness and
decided to wait for daylight

---

By Nelson Daranciang
ndaranciang@starbulletin.com

Antoinette Pacheco walks into the Ewa Forest Reserve near her Wahiawa home almost every day to pick orchids along a stream while her nephews go swimming.

On Wednesday they went into the forest about 3 p.m. and should have returned two hours later. But Pacheco said she just lost track of time.

Later, they had no idea that their family and Honolulu and federal firefighters were searching for them since 10 p.m. Wednesday. Yesterday, 24 Army Rangers from Schofield Barracks joined in the search.

DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Rescue workers located a woman and her two nephews yesterday after the trio spent Wednesday night in the Ewa Forest Reserve. Casey Ikaika Dela Rosario, 12, and Chance Botelho, 9, second and third from right, were helped from a rescue helicopter basket at Schofield Air Assault School

"We weren't lost. My family is the one that panicked," Pacheco said.

The firefighters and Army Rangers searched Schofield Barracks' East Range while friends and family members searched the other side of California Avenue.

About 1 p.m. yesterday, Pacheco and the boys heard a dog bark, then Pacheco's brother-in-law Russell Chee called out to them. Pacheco's neighbor Steven Sandry, his dog Sandy and Caleb Silva, who was in the forest setting trail markers, were with Chee.

Chee contacted the Honolulu Fire Department, and the group waited to be lifted out of the forest by HFD's helicopter.

Pacheco said they did not return Wednesday because she thought there was not going to be enough sunlight to get back safely.

That was about 5:30 p.m. So Pacheco, 54, told her nephews Casey Ikaika Dela Rosario, 12, and Chance Botelho, 9, they would have to spend the night in the forest.

"We just found a warm tree and in the morning started to go back up. They were fine overnight. It was like a game for them."

The tree shielded them from the wind, and their 8-month-old pit bull, Einstein, kept them warm. The wind kept the mosquitos away.

They had bottles of water, but some cookies they brought along fell out of their knapsack on the way to the stream. They found the cookies the next morning on the way back home.

After the excitement of being lifted out by helicopter, Pacheco left her orchids behind. She said she will just have to go back for them.