Hiker was stranded 200 feet down a mountain—a dog's barking gave her a second chance at life

The hiker had fallen down the trail and there was no way to get back from the spot she was found in.

PUBLISHED AUG 4, 2025

(L) A dog barking in an outdoor space. (R) A rescue operation in the air and on the ground. Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Jill Lehmann Photography; Jaromir

A dog is considered a human's best friend. One dog proved exactly why the saying is true when it saved its owner after she fell 200 feet down on a hiking trail. The woman could be found by the rescue team because her barking dog drew attention to itself as people passed by the scene. The onlookers called 911 and changed the woman's fate as she got airlifted by the rescue team soon afterwards, per CNN.

A dog on a slope. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Global Images Ukraine

It all began when a hiker on Lanipo Trail in Kaimuki, Hawaii, called the emergency service because an unaccompanied dog was barking constantly while standing at the edge of a steep cliff. Rescuers came to the scene and began searching on foot, as well as with the help of an aircraft. The team also included 17 firefighters. The rescue team in the air spotted the dog on one of the slopes and one of them rappelled down 20 feet to get the dog back to safety. While taking the dog to a safe zone, the pilot noticed something about 70 feet below the spot the dog was rescued from. It turned out to be a bag of personal items that belonged to the missing hiker.

A helicopter flying near the mountains. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Jan Hetfleisch

The Honolulu Fire Department explained that the team on the ground was looking after the dog when they spotted its owner's name and contact information on its collar, per a statement. The team tried calling the number mentioned on the collar multiple times, but no one answered the phone. So the fire department asked the police department to check on the woman's home and see if everything was alright. The police went to the house and found out that nobody was home at that time. The team also found out that the 35-year-old hiker's car had been safely parked at the head of the trail and began gathering more information about the woman.

A rescue team walking up a hiking trail. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Benjamin Fanjoy

After searching through the air and ground for over two hours, the responders finally found the woman about 200 feet below the hiking trail, where she seemed to have fallen down. The woman was about 100 feet below where her bag had been found and was covered with thick foliage when the team finally found her. The firefighters immediately performed a medical assessment on her and gave her basic life support treatment before they strapped her onto a stretcher for airlifting her from the location. She was safely airlifted and dropped at a landing zone where the emergency medical services took over and started helping the woman. All the personnel from the team were okay and had no injuries after the intensive search.

A first responder pushing a stretcher with a patient. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Halfpoint Images

Just like the dog's barking saved the woman's life, another missing hiker was saved because of a stranger's very weird hobby in another case. A hiker, Rene Compean, had gone missing and the police had no leads about his whereabouts apart from a picture Compean had sent to a friend before his phone's battery died, per NBC Los Angeles. The police started asking experienced hikers in the area about the location and one man, Benjamin Kuo, had a hobby where he liked finding places with the help of a picture. He was able to give the police the possible coordinates of the location and Compean was found and saved because of it.