Mother: A lost hiker "can not go from the front and she can not go back" | News, sports, jobs

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Amanda Eller, a resident of Haiku, is shown Friday after being found by researchers near the Kailua Reservoir in the remote suburb of Haiku.
TROY HELMER picture

WAILUKU – Hiker Amanda Eller's mother, who has been missing for more than two weeks and lives on berries and guava in the disconcerting forest of northeastern Maui, said her daughter would take her mobile phone on her next hikes in the middle of nowhere. air.

"Before her trip, she wanted to unplug, she did not like that," Julia Eller said Saturday. "All these things. . . she has a whole new appreciation for. She reportedly said, "I would have given everything to have my cell phone."

Amanda Eller, 35, a physiotherapist and yoga teacher, left her mobile phone, keys and wallet in her white Toyota RAV4 "Hunter Trail" It would no longer be visible Friday afternoon, when a private helicopter operated by Windward Aviation and paid for by a GoFundMe page, found Eller about 5 to 7 miles from its starting point.

Julia Eller told Amanda Eller, who was spotted near a creek in the Kailua Reservoir at 3:45 pm. was at a "critical moment" when she was found.

"She could not go ahead and she could not go back," Julia Eller said. "It was a 20-foot cliff in front of her. . . Below, there was a boxed canyon from which she could not have gone out. "

Happy mom Julia Eller kisses Javier Cantellops at the Saturday afternoon press conference at the Maui Memorial Medical Center. Cantellops is one of the men who found Julia's daughter, Amanda.
The Maui News / Photo by MATTHEW THAYER

Javier Cantellops, who helped lead the volunteer-led research work for several weeks and brought together more than 1,000 people, said the field was advanced, even for the experts.

"As a special operations army ranger, I've been on some of the toughest terrain imaginable, from deserts to mountains to jungle", Cantellops said Saturday. "This particular area, yeah, is beautiful and has a lot of trails, but there are lots of pig trails and human trails, there are a lot of gulches, there are a lot of areas that are very similar. When you walk on a path, you see perfectly clear, you turn around and the path disappears. "

When searching for Eller with two firefighters and four others, said Cantellops, the group has borrowed the wrong track. "That's exactly what happened to Amanda."

"If I did not get my phone, my GPS and my compass, I would not have known, because everything looks so similar" he said.

Julia Eller said on May 8 that Amanda Eller had been walking in the forest for a distance of 3 miles, that she had sat on a tree trunk, meditated , had a nap and woke up "Confused." At that moment, she knew she was lost and she covered the ground to regain the trail and her car.

The Maui fire department arrested Amanda Eller on Friday after the police said she had been seen in the Kailua Reservoir area at 3:45 pm. Eller was taken to the Maui Memorial Medical Center, where she stays on Saturday for treatment.
Picture of Troy Helmer

His immediate thought was, "I have to go back to my car" Father John Eller said Saturday afternoon. "When we turn around, we go around in circles. His plan was to return to the car. As it became hopeless, I am sure that his state of mind has changed. "

At first, Amanda Eller lost her shoes during a flood, said her mother. She had kidnapped them, the river swelled quickly and she swept them away.

For nearly two and a half weeks, fighting for her survival, Eller found water sources and ate food, such as berries, guava and various leaves, according to Julia Eller. But for several days she found nothing to eat. In addition, Eller, who holds a PhD in physiotherapy, suffered a knee injury that she tried to treat while looking at her. "The body fat melt."

The nights were cold and Eller was using a brush and all she could find to cover herself, said Julia Eller. The cane grass was uncomfortable, however.

Amanda Eller saw helicopters at various locations and tried to report them, "But they were going too fast," his father said.

Dr. Zora Bulatovic, a doctor at the Maui Memorial Medical Center who treats Eller, attributed his survival to intelligence and good health earlier. "She was well educated. . . . She did a very good job with her background, "said Dr. Zora Bulatovic. "She was able to eat proper things and stay hydrated."
The Maui News / Photo by MATTHEW THAYER

The doctor at the Maui Memorial Medical Center treating Eller attributed his survival to a previous intelligence and good health.

"She was well educated. . . . She did a very good job with her past, " said Dr. Zora Bulatovic. "She was able to eat proper things and stay hydrated."

Eller suffered a fractured left tibia, making walking difficult, severe sunburns at the lower extremities, skin infection and leg injuries, Bulatovic said. However, its electrolytes and hydration, which are among the highest priorities of its survival, have been "Incredibly good" she added.

"She managed to stay hydrated with the river water and to eat fresh fruit from the trees," Bulatovic said. "I expected to see more. You expect to see electrolyte imbalance and severe dehydration. "

Bulatovic, Julia Eller, Cantellops and Sarah Haynes family spokeswoman spoke at a press conference at the hospital on Saturday in place of Amanda Eller, who, according to Haynes, does not interview for the moment. Instead, Amanda Eller posted Saturday from her hospital bed a Facebook message on her official search page, thanking people for their support.

Amanda Eller, along with her boyfriend Benjamin Kokol, released a statement of gratitude on her official Facebook search page Saturday. "See how the community of Maui has come together … Just with the idea of ​​helping someone get out alive – it warms my heart," he said. she declared.
Photo from Facebook Live video

"See how the community of Maui has come together. . . . Just with the idea of ​​helping a person get out of the woods – it makes me hot, " she says. "And to see the power of prayer and the power of love when everyone combines their efforts is incredible. It could move mountains.

Eller remains hospitalized Saturday and his doctor plans a few days before his release. Intravenous antibiotics are currently fighting his skin infection.

John Eller said his family would probably return to Maryland in the coming weeks, but his daughter was planning to stay in Maui. After his convalescence, he added, she will probably resume her physical therapy practice and return to patients.

"I think she'll need a little time to regain strength," he said. "It was hard, what she went through. She needs time to recover. "

In the near future, said John Eller, his daughter just wants "Take a shower at home."

* Kehaulani Cerizo can be contacted at [email protected].