Exactly. How do you lose your shoes. Follow the stream down and she’d have rescued herself by day 3. This whole story smells.
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/hawaii/maui/kahakapao-loop-trail “Kahakapao Loop Trail is a 8.7 kilometer heavily trafficked” The pictures look like it is well marked and a nice wide trail for people and bikes.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Makawao+Forest+Reserve/@20.8154782,-156.2771449,17z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x7954ca5d0259b127:0x9ba349ec7a423091!8m2!3d20.8320574!4d-156.2753051
Looking at maps, all she had to do was walk west and she’d end up in someone’s backyard within a few feet. Yes, something smells.
100%... that map tells it all
“How do you lose your shoes”
Walking through a stream.
I nearly did that twice on a hike in my city urban "woods" after rain and still had a runoff. So losing shoes isn't far-fetched.
How to get lost? Step off of trail 100 yards (as suggested) to go take a leak and get turned around. You go in the direction you think is the way back to the trail and end up in deep (poop.) It's not like where guys can turn to a tree to water it and have no problems.
Hell, even in my local suburban nature area that is 4 1/2 miles long and a mile wide. But get turned around in there off-trail (or wander an over-grown one that shows on Alltrails) and it's easy to get lost.
Looking at this particular trail and checking the topography means she was considerably off-trail.
And if you think it's rubbish, go read up on Mitzi Clemons and tell me how easy it is to walk back to the trail or know your way instantly, or how easy it is to not end up 4 miles away from where you were last seen.
She suffered sunburn, a broken leg after falling 20 foot on the third day and lost her shoes during a flash flood four days into her ordeal in the thick forest. She survived by sleeping in a boar's den.
Does her story still stink?