Kauai hiker blames
dehydration in getting lost

The woman is found after spending
the night at Kokee park

A Kauai woman who became dehydrated and disoriented while hiking was forced to spend Sunday night on a picnic table in a remote section of Kokee State Park before being rescued by firefighters.

Robin Drapkin, a Hanalei resident, said she "spent the night on a picnic table with nene birds and high winds," using a topographical map as a blanket before Kauai Fire Department personnel found her yesterday morning nearly six miles from her car.

Drapkin, 55, was hiking alone on the Awaawapuhi/Nualolo trail when, she said, dehydration left her confused, and no other hikers came by to help her.

"It's not a trail to easily get lost on," Drapkin, an experienced hiker and runner, said. "It had to do with dehydration. You can be an athletic person and still be in trouble."

Her husband called police when he could not reach her after seven hours.

Firefighters from the Waimea Station responded and found her car at the trail head, but they were unable to find her before dark Sunday night. They returned to the search yesterday morning, joined by rescue specialists and a helicopter, and found Drapkin unharmed but very weak. They flew her to safety.

"I think (the firefighters) deserve recognition for the work that they do," she said. "I was very impressed with the fire and rescue" personnel.

As of yesterday afternoon, she was fine and back at home on Kauai's North Shore.

"It was a very long night," she said, adding that, being so dehydrated, she was afraid if she slept too much, she would never wake up.