Missing hiker's body found

By Kawehi Haug
Advertiser Staff Writer

Daniel Levey's family and friends spent several anxious hours yesterday holding out hope that he would still be found alive, but when word finally came, it was not the news they wanted to hear.

Fire rescue crews discovered Levey, 19, about four miles from where he'd started hiking on Monday. His body was found along a waterfall above Nu'uanu Reservoir.

Levey's family and friends had joined daily search efforts that came up empty. After four days, his mother, Joyce Levey, said they were realistic about the outcome.

"There was always that glimmer of hope," she said yesterday. "But each day, we knew that there was less and less of a chance that he would survive."

The hiker's father, Norman Levey, said the family is relieved to know that Daniel, hurt and alone, isn't still waiting to be found.

Levey was reported missing Monday at about 8 p.m. when he failed to return from the Mau'umae Trail above Maunalani Heights. The trail leads to two summits, one of them the Lanipo, which overlooks Ka'au Crater. The hiker told his mother that he wanted to photograph the crater.

He almost made it, his mother said yesterday. But it got dark before he had a chance to find his way out of the mountain. Had it stayed light for a half hour longer, he probably would have survived, she said.

Joyce Levey said she thinks her son fell shortly after calling her Monday at 6 p.m. During their last conversation, he told her that he was walking on a "very narrow path" on a summit and could see Ka'au Crater and Windward O'ahu. She said she tried to call him back, but couldn't reach him and now she's certain that he fell soon after hanging up.

"We think he fell ... and died instantly," said Norman Levey. "We don't think he suffered — and he died doing what he loved."

Levey's family and friends had gathered yesterday morning to take part in the search, which had been extended one more day after a trained dog picked up a scent in the area Thursday. At about 11 a.m. rescue crews said they had found a body about four miles away from the Mau'umae Trail.

At about 2:30 p.m., Levey's parents arrived at the Palolo Fire Station to inform those awaiting word that they had made a positive identification of their son.

After scouring through hundreds of acres in and around Ka'au Crater since Monday night, Honolulu Fire Department rescue crews found Levey on the ledge of a waterfall.

"(He) was on a ledge about 150 feet from the top of a waterfall," Fire Capt. Kenison Tejada said. "From the ledge to the base of the waterfall is another 200 feet. It would appear that he fell because climbing down to where the body was would have been difficult."

Levey, of Hawai'i Kai, was a student at the University of Oregon.

Friends described him as bright and creative — a "typical young guy" who loved a good challenge — but he wasn't above taking precautions.

"I can't imagine that he went up there without knowing what he was getting into," said Eric Lam, one of Levey's high school buddies. "He would've read up on it and done what he thought was best. He was fearless, but he wasn't irrational."

But sometimes even the best hikers run into trouble, said Mabel Kekina of the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club, which provided volunteer help in searching for Levey.

"Obviously Daniel knew what he was doing. He was a strong, experienced hiker — the fact that he made it as far as he did proves that," said Kekina. "But you just never know."

Kekina advises hikers to hike with a buddy and get an early start, even if they're experienced.

"It doesn't matter how well you know the trails," she said. "If you can't see and you get lost or lose your footing, it won't matter how experienced you are."

Levey may not have realized how far he'd gone and how long he needed to complete the hike safely, a common mistake among experienced and inexperienced hikers alike, Kekina said.

"People look at Hawai'i and think the weather is so clear and the conditions so harmless," said Kekina. "The truth is that the conditions get bad very quickly in the mountains — you should never underestimate the Ko'olaus."

Advertiser Staff Writer Rod Ohira contributed to this report.