INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Three searchers peered into dense foliage and rolling waterfall beds as they watched their fuel dwindle
It would soon be time to turn back and end the 16th day of the search for Amanda Eller, led in part by a recently unemployed arborist.Search
coordinator Chris Berquist was fired from his day job just a few days into the rescue operation
He said his boss was frustrated with the time he spent on the search, organizing a battalion of volunteers devoted to finding the missing
hiker in Hawaii's Makawao Forest Reserve
He didn't have the paycheck, but it freed up Berquist to lead the effort.Berquist, along with Javier Cantellops and Troy Helmer, were
scanning the forest from about 150 feet above, over roaring waterfalls and jagged cliffs
In a flash of human presence among the branches, Berquist made out a figure in faded yoga pants and a dirtied white shirt
Eller was waving, barefoot and ecstatic
The team had studied her face for days
They knew they found her."I've never met her before, but there was no mistaking that's who it was," Berquist told Maui Now.The dramatic
rescue of Eller, a 33-year-old Maui resident, physical therapist and yoga instructor, was fueled by the efforts of volunteers and organizers
who braved the heat, wild animals and precarious terrain - and ultimately returned with Eller, shaken but alive.Their effort began when Maui
fire rescue personnel ended the official search on May 12, after hitting a 72-hour limit on missing-person assistance
Maui Fire Chief David Thyne did not return a request for comment asking about his department's role in search efforts after the time limit
passed, though volunteers praised their continued assistance and "behind the scenes" support.The volunteer search started as a low-tech slog
Volunteers turned to crude "pirate maps"and unorganized guidance, according to Eller's father
Days later, they were aided by GPS mapping and analysis tools that pointed them toward the most promising areas to search.Eller, a physical
therapist and yoga instructor, got turned around on a hiking trail and lost in the reserve carved into the northwest slopes of the Haleakala
volcano thick with tropical ash, bushy ferns, bamboo and massive rotting trunks
She fractured her leg on the third day, ate moths and unknown plants and covered herself in leaves for warmth.She slept in a wild boar's den
one night.Meanwhile, volunteers faced the same conditions as they searched
They took time off to help comb through much of the reserve's 2,000 acres
Coordinators like Berquist ferried them into the jungle, where they braved a relentless sun, flooding rivers and unforgiving terrain that
they took head on with the business end of machetes
They picked through the intestines of the boars they slew to look for human remains.The pressures weighed on volunteers, Berquist told The
Washington Post."As time pushes on in a search, it's natural for people to lose a little bit of faith," he said
"It starts to play with your mind the longer you're out there and not finding her."Coordinators set up a yurt in a parking lot, where
volunteers, sometimes numbering 150 in a day, received their orders based on ability and skill.Those who could not hike ran tables at the
base camp where nurses were on stand by
Experienced backcountry hikers fanned deep into the bush
Drone operators took to the skies, and hunters, rock climbers and rappellers carved out terrain to search."The terrain there is pretty
rough, there are a lot of trees down and a lot of confusing side trails," said Elena Pray, a rappelling guide on Maui who volunteered for
nearly the entire search effort.Berquist, who said he had experience with EMS operations and cave rescues, warned each of them to be careful
"We don't need any more victims," he told one group.As the days wore on, Eller's father's tech background became key to search efforts.John
Eller, the chief executive of a telematics company, introduced a search interface that allowed volunteers to log via their smartphones where
When they returned to camp, they handed over their own GPS data to coordinators, which then colored in swaths of a map and revealed which
areas still needed to be combed.Spirits lifted when searchers glimpsed monitors and saw their efforts in real-time
It was paired with a data analysis of where missing persons are often located."We found out that more than 80 percent of people recovered
are in drainages or creeks - and that's where we found her," Berquist said.Amanda Eller's decisions imperiled her from the start.She left
her water and phone at her car, thinking they were unnecessary for a three-mile hike
She said in an interview that her "gut instinct" drew her in one direction that led her deeper into the forest
She fell off a cliff and fractured her leg
Her shoes were lost in a flood
And on several occasions, Eller heard helicopters buzzing overhead but couldn't reach them."There were times of total fear, and loss and
wanting to give up," Eller said in a video statement from her hospital bed after the rescue
"It came down to life and death
And I chose life."Data, and some luck, led Berquist, Helmer and Cantellops to Eller on Friday.Research pointed to waterfall beds and rivers
as likely places Eller would take refuge
With fuel supplies low, Berquist spotted Eller near a waterfall and signaled to her that they were there for the rescue and not some
oblivious, waving tourists, he told Maui Now."There is no professionalism at this point," Berquist said, describing their emotions upon
"We're just trying to get to her."The helicopter, which was contracted and paid for through donations, landed on a plateau
The team fought through thick grass to cut a path to Eller
Cantellops, who had previously met her, called out
He nearly fell off a cliff, Berquist said
Then he shouted again for Eller, asking if she recognized his voice."Javi" Eller called back
Cantellops was the first to reach her and snapped selfies and video before a rescue helicopter hoisted her up in a basket
Then it did the same for the rescuers
For the first time in more than two weeks, they could enjoy the beautiful island view as it whirred by."It didn't feel wrong to be enjoying
that," Berquist said.Recovering from dehydration, a broken leg and badly blistered leg wounds, Eller praised the search effort
"This was all about us coming together for a greater purpose of community and love, and appreciation for life," she said.Eller's father said
he would harness the lessons and technology to create software that could be utilized to find lost hikers in the future, and Berquist agreed
it was a model that could be scaled up."We're going to make sure this is a well-oiled machine," he said, "and doesn't take 15, 16 plus days
to find someone next time."Cantellops said the team was still elated Saturday afternoon
But the celebration was short-lived
He cut an interview short to hop on a helicopter with Berquist to search for Noah Mina, a hiker lost in Iao Valley.---Horton reported from
Washington, D.C.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is published from a syndicated
