: Richard Greenberg MD
: Surviving A Miracle The Extraordinary True Story of a Daring Rescue along the N? Pali Coast of Kaua'i
: Ballast Books
: 9781962202824
: Surviving A Miracle
: 1
: CHF 10.70
:
: Biographien, Autobiographien
: English
: 106
: kein Kopierschutz
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB
When Dr. Richard Greenberg, accompanied by his wife and three children, set out for a scenic day hike on the N? Pali Coast of Kaua'i, he had little idea that the dream-like setting would soon be the backdrop of a living nightmare. With an unforeseen change in the weather, Dr. Greenberg and his family soon found themselves fighting for their lives. In this harrowing retelling of the unexpected events of that day and the journey that followed, Dr. Greenberg shares a miraculous story of disaster and rescue, of strength and faith, and of grief and recovery. Meticulously recorded through the accounts of many who were on the trail that day, the author provides an in-depth and astounding narrative of the selflessness and heroism displayed by compassionate strangers and the miracles witnessed and felt by all. Surviving A Miracle is a must-read for anyone who has ever felt God's divine intervention in their lives or for those searching for hope.

Dr. Richard Greenberg grew up in Southern California and attended medical school at UC Davis School of Medicine in Northern California. He completed his internship and residency in pediatrics at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center/Primary Children's Medical Center as well as a fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center/Children's Hospital, Denver. He later served as an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center and currently works as a general pediatrician at a community clinic in the Salt Lake City area (South Summit Pediatrics). Dr. Greenberg has published several articles on pediatric subjects such as croup, asthma, sepsis, and pediatric trauma. In addition, he has presented research on several pediatric subjects at national and international medical meetings. Dr. Greenberg is the author of The Emergency Room: When Does My Child Need to Go? and acts as a public speaker for childcare groups regarding child health issues. He enjoys running, participating in triathlons, and baking with his family as well as traveling with his wife, Carrie, and his three children, Zachary, Samantha, and Marla.

CHAPTER 1

The Hike to Hanakapi‘ai Falls

“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything
beautiful, for beauty is God’s handwriting.”
—Charles Kingsley

Hawai‘i is famous for its beauty, tropical nature, and pristine beaches. Kaua‘i is known as the Garden Island, earning the beloved nickname for the vast tropical rainforest that covers much of its surface. The island receives more rainfall each year than any other in the chain, lending to its green and lush terrain. While O‘ahu offers travelers spectacular dining and shopping and Maui is home to a number of family friendly resorts, Kaua‘i treats visitors to a plethora of outdoor adventures —boating, cave tubing, ziplining—to name a few. The one thing the island is best known for is hiking. The hike to Hanakapi‘ai Falls along the Nā Pali Coast is arguably the most famous of all hikes in Hawai‘i.

We arrived on Kaua‘i on the evening of April 3, 2014. We spent the next two days relaxing on the beach and preparing for the long-awaited hike to Hanakapi‘ai Falls. I had completed this hike twice before and was anxious to share the beauty of this location with my family—my wife, Carrie, our three children, Zach, Samantha, and Marla, as well as our dear family friend Steve, who had travelled with us. The night before the hike we prepared our packs so that we could leave early the next morning. We prepped food, planning to enjoy a picnic lunch at the falls as a reward for the eight-mile hike, and filled our water bottles and hydration backpacks. The weather forecast called for clear skies with no storm warnings. All signs were pointing toward a beautiful day on the trail.

We awoke early on April 6, 2014, and loaded into our rental car. We left our condominium at about 6:45 a.m., and at 7:15 a.m., we arrived at the trailhead at Ke‘e Beach, a thin strip of golden sand surrounded by the characteristic and striking face of the rolling cliffs that make up the famous Nā Pali Coast. Even though our children were young at the time, we are a family of experienced hikers, and everyone was fitted with their water backpacks and ready to start hiking by 7:30 a.m.

With my water backpack in place, I donned a child hiking carrier over the top. The child carrier had been rented, and was intended to carry Marla, our youngest child, knowing she would be unable to complete the hike on her own. At three years old, Marla had only just begun walking, having low muscle tone since birth, along with several other special medical needs. Unfortunately, we had not tried to place Marla in the backpack before that morning, and it was too small for her. With the aid of Steve and Carrie, we were able to squeeze her legs through the holes and shimmy her body down to fit her into the backpack. It wasn’t a perfect fit, but it would do for the day. She was so securely squeezed in that we did not see a need to buckle her in with the additional straps on the backpack.

We had hiked with Marla previously using a child carrier backpack, and the reality was that we knew she would only spend limited time being carried this way. Given the combination of wanting to try out the newly acquired freedom afforded by learning to walk on her own, plus preferring to be carried in my arms rather than in a pack, we knew that Marla was likely to be in and out of the carrier as we maneuvered the rocky trail that went up and downhill, crossed streams, and lasted eight miles round trip. We set out with Marla in the carrier, prepared to embrace the constant changes that accompany adventuring with a toddler.

The hike starts at Ke‘e Beach, which is the northernmost point of Kaua‘i that is accessible via car. This is the origination of the famous Kalalau Trail. The entire trail spans eleven miles one way, beginning at Ke‘e Beach and ending at Kalalau Beach. The hike to Hanakapi‘ai Falls, which is four miles one way, makes up the first two miles of the Kalalau Trail before splitting off into the valley. The trail travels on a narrow path along ocean side cliffs several hundred feet above the crashing waves of the magnificent blue-green ocean below. The views offered by this hike on the Nā Pali Coast are considered to be some of the most beautiful in the world, and though this trail is popular with locals and visitors alike, the path is rocky, and the hike itself is at times challenging.1

The kids and I hiked ahead of Steve and Carrie. Every quarter to half mile, we would pause and wait for Carrie and Steve to catch up, taking the opportunity for a drink of water and