He experienced every Hiker's WORST CASE Scenario (and he's not alone) 

I’m actually jesses niece! Thank you so much for getting his story out there it means a lot to our family :)

I lived in Hawaii for 9 years and learned two things, one, hikers go missing all the time on all the islands to never be seen again and two, Hawaii police are incompetent, lazy and even somewhat corrupt

I live on Maui. I want to warn all visitors that it can be sunny and dry where you are hiking near the ocean, but all the islands are steep, and rain higher up, where you don’t even see it, can result in a flash flood of the stream you are in. A wall of water can appear in seconds, and carry you downstream, all the way into the ocean. Also, if you are ever carried away in the ocean by a current, do not swim against it. Go across it perpendicular, and you can get out.

I lived on Oahu for many years. The islands are beautiful but can be dangerous. Don’t underestimate the sketchy people you may encounter out there, who are very unwelcoming to visitors.

Sounds less like a curse and more like a situation with many chances for something to go wrong with little to no margin for error.

My grandfather grew up in the rural parts of Samoa and then moved to Hawaii. He always talked about legends and curses and how you must always be respectful on the islands.

I am from Hawaii, grew up on Maui, lived on the Big Island, and on Oahu. There is a lot of shady things that happen, and a lot of cultural things that occur as well. There are big clans that live in the islands and they will get into fights and sometimes kill each other and there is not so much as an investigation. There are mainlander tourist who disappear and end up fed to the pigs, there are ritualistic things that occur that are bad medicine. There are colonies of users everywhere. There are places that are cursed that you do not go, there are places that you can go if you show respect and deference for the the things that live there. There are flash floods, rip tides, tiger sharks, ManoWar, Vana, Giant Centipedes, Scorpions. Then there are the Menehune, and not all of them are friendly. I am str8 up Haole with native descent, but I have a deep understand of my islands and a healthy respect for all the things that happen that you don't see that lay under the surface. Hawaii is not a joke, do not take it lightly if you decide to visit, and be respectful of the land, the water, the traditions, and the people.

It is a beautiful trail. Take a buddy. I have done it a couple of times. There were a lot of crazy people (literally, clinically speaking) squatting there the first year I went 2010ish. It is much more cleaned up now. The waves on that coast can be absolutely ginormous. One year I went, the waves were crashing so hard at the bottom of crawlers ledge (hundreds of feet down) that the spray was making it all the way up to the trail. That day, the waves were crashing so hard on Kalalau beach that they were splashing up into the trees. Another year I went, I had to wait hours at one of the river crossings because it was raining so hard that there was a flash flood. In short, there are many ways a solo hiker could go missing there and the overgrowth is so think that a persons body could be feet from the trail and never be found.

I went to high school with Jesse and his siblings. Really hits home remembering when he went missing. Such a sad situation for a great family.

I'm sorry this happened. I'm Hawaiian and I have heard some locals do not like tourists or haolis. All of this man's belongings were left at his camp he probably came across the not so nice locals.

Ambiguous loss is perhaps the single most tragic way to lose a loved one. Being deprived of the much needed emotional closure can have a lasting impact. I truly feel for Jesse’s family, and Jesse himself. As a hiker, I personally have found that you tend to encounter more sketchy and dangerous people the farther west you are. The only time I’ve ever feared for my life was when hiking south of San Francisco near Big Basin and being followed on a trail for 2 miles by two ominous men who appeared to have lived in the woods for some time. I’m only thankful I was making my way out and not the other way around.

Hiked it 20 years ago on what was the wettest day in Kauai hx at the time. Trail was getting washed out by flash flooding all across the trail. The first river just 2-3 miles in was a fast, dangerous churning torrent of water that washed into huge crashing waves below on the beach at high-high tide. The river was impassable and death defying yet people were wading in to try. Many people!! I yelled at people to stop though one guy slipped and nearly got washed away to his death in the giant surf below. At least 20 people were trapped on the far side of the flash flooding river. Ran back to entrance of trail where there is an Emergency Services public phone. Got ahold of the police to inform them that there were people trapped on the far side of the river. The response from the Officer was, “What do you want us to do about it?” In an annoyed, frustrated voice. He went in to say in an almost angry voice, “Look! This is not the mainland! We don’t have helicopters to fly In and rescue people. Everyone on that trail knew what they were getting into and they’ll have to wait at least 24-48 hours for the river to go down!” I don’t doubt the Officers do get very frustrated at countless requests for help from unprepared hikers and doubt they have the resources to have a near full time rescue crew. Though their frustration and refusal to assist people, I hope, has been addressed in the last few years because they knew what they were signing up for when they entered public service. Be careful out there! Ya probably will be all on your own if things go sideways.

When I lived on Oahu, the locals I knew spoke of the west coast of Kauai as a dangerous, no-man's land where nefarious things could happen. I pray that somehow, some way, Jesse's family will find answers.

River crossings are best done with backpacks uncapped and with using poles. Being stuck face down with a clipped pack is a coffin. Even though it sucks to navigate moving water with a floppy pack on wet, unstable rocks, it sucks more to be absolutely stuck face down under a full pack you can't remove.

In 2008 KPD had just been through an FBI investigation that exposed corruption and brutality. The resulting loss of officers meant they were short handed. Also, there was the mindset that tourists were on their own when they stepped out of the resorts. Having lived there, I can say it’s not Disneyland and Mother Nature is not forgiving on Kauai.

Honestly the way you tell these more unknown stories is a great way to not only keep there memory alive but to keep future hikers alive as well, even with being an experienced hiker the different changes in humidity and climate from country to country without giving your body a chance to adjust can be so life threatening in itself.

The Police's reluctance is pretty infuriating. Thank you for sharing Jesse's tale.

I have hiked in Hawaii... never go off the trail without being very cautious... there are hidden lava tubes in the ground that get covered with plants that will make you disappear forever... and there is more crime in Hawaii than people realize...

I began a hike by myself of this trail around 1993 or 1994. I had some hiking experience in colorado about fifteen years earlier, but not enough for this trail. Before I began I bought a new pair of boots at a store near the beginning of the trail and asked how much water I needed. An employee there said about a liter of water was sufficient. He may have not understood what I had wanted to do. So anyway I started the hike and I remember the first wide stream crossing. I saw the way an experienced hiker had managed to get a throw line across it and bring his gear across it above it to keep it dry. I started to realize how little I knew about hiking. Anyway I continued the hike. The up and down and the heat were really getting to me. I was running out of water. I did see water running across the trail but was afraid to drink it. I came across someone returning. I asked him how hard it would be to continue and he told me that it's very hard and that I should turn around and go back. But it was so beautiful and such a new experience that I continued on. After a while I noticed a young couple that came out of some brush on my right, that being the side toward the ocean. They were smiling and I figured they having fun there. The guy said I should go there and take a look. I thanked him and jumped through the brush. I realized I was on the very edge of a cliff about 800 feet above the ocean. The drop off extended almost 360 degrees around me and I was right on the edge. I started getting dizzy and backed up terrified that I was going to die. After this I turned around to hike back. I was out of water and kept falling down from exhaustion. I've thought about doing this hike again, but because of its popularity one has to get a permit way in advance. I haven't been to hawaii since 1995 and have gotten old, so I may never do it. I've had several other scary hiking experiences but this was the worst, except possibly a 35 minute standoff with a mountain lion alone and at 11PM. It got within 10 feet of me before deciding that I wasn't worth the effort. My advice: try to find out the difficulty of a hike before you attempt it. Note the water and clothing requirements, bring the 10 essentials and do not hike alone. Good luck and enjoy the experience.

I'm from Hawai'i, and my family has been in Hawai'i for over 100 years. The annoying thing is the tourist thinking of an adventurous Hawaiian lifestyle that actually doesn't exist and then getting into situations like this.

Being swept out in a rip on the Hawaiian Islands isn't like pulling a rip off the CT coast ... water depths go to thousands of feet right off shore, and beaches and safe landings are few while cliff faces miles long catch the full power of deep ocean waves which will grind you into mincemeat for the sea life.

Having lived on Kauai for 27 years, I have hiked the Kalalau Trail a few times. The last time we needed to evacuate due to rain. At the first stream coming back the KT, was completely flooded. The rope crossing was at least 3ft under water. We. Held on for dear life and crossed. The whole 11 mile trail was a stream. It was a terrifying. I had one leg slip off the cliff as I clung to the trail. My BF saved my life from falling. People do come to Kauai to dissappear and in facf many do. In 1988 two Dr,s went missing in Kokee. And yes KPD rarely investigates anything because everyone is related. We had a serial killer in 2000 on the West side beaches. He killed 3 women, both local and tourists a 4th survived the attack. No one ever held responsible to date. I even had a local boy, a patient working at Walmart just go missing. The police never even talked to me, his MH SW. Very sad. I would definitely never hike alone. People do live in Kalalau always haved.

Kyle you’ve hit your stride with these investigative reports of missing hikers. Keep doing what you’re doing. 👍

he was killed. i had a sister live out there, she was a squatter in a cave, she used to talk about how nice it was living in nature. but the people she met out there would be the types of people who would kill you for your shoes.

I like these videos, like a lot of hiker youtubers tend to glamorize hiking but in reality it's an experience that seem to require a lot of prep and knowledge and your videos do help by highlighting the worse case scenario (While also tipping what they could've done cause 90% these cases are purely avoidable if they didn't push it) but you're also very sincere when it comes to hiking, hiking seems genuinely fun! And a beautiful experience but by sharing these it can be a tale of making sure of being prepared and always try your best to be ready for the unexpected when you venture into the unknown. And along with that, you also helped give voices to hikers who are missing or were killed that deserves to be remembered. And you giving info for contact for the missing is honestly an extra mile you did not have to do but you did and that's honestly one of the coolest things ever.

This story is very concerning to me. I hiked trails on this island a few months ago. It was unseasonably rainy. I did several hikes solo while I was there. It gives me goosebumps to hear this. I felt very safe when I was out there, but safety should be a priority. I am sad for the family of these individuals.

I hiked this trail about 15 years ago and became severely hydrated after hiking on the way back-if it wasn’t for some kind hikers heading the opposite way, I don’t know what would have happened….also the current on the first beach is so strong, it’s true. I was in knee-high water and had a very difficult time getting back to shore while coming in.

If the “squatters” are indigenous people just living peacefully on the land some might say they’re not even “squatters” in a moral sense.

I am originally from Massachusetts where there aren't really any forests so deep that hikers can get "lost" in them. If you point in any direction and walk for an hour or two at the most you'll hit a road, house, fast food restaurant or other piece of information. Having moved to Oregon I was struck by how many people go missing in the forests here (and of course Washington state and the other much bigger, wilder states). It is all too easy, so it would seem, to go missing when we're in the wilderness.

I hiked it 50 times since 1992 the main reason he could of gone missing is Swolen rivers, lost up valley, rip currents, or crazy people down their.. This is horrible 😢

I'm an old man now, but after all my travels and thinking I was an experienced backpacker and outdoorsman, turns out that I was just lucky! There's your mystery. Just bad luck! No curse! Remember how many times you got up knowing just how lucky you were not to die? Maybe hundreds of times. A little slip. Wrong turn. Bad timing and worst of all arrogance, over confident and under prepared! Yet you got away with it! Good luck to you and hope you don't have bad luck that then turns into a mystery and eventually a curse. Just an old man jabbering into the wind! A very lucky old man..

I think maybe the lady who got hurled off a cliff faced the REAL worst-case scenario tbh

You mentioned that it's a rainforest, but here's a fun fact: Mount Waialeale, the spot with the highest annual documented rainfall on Earth at appx 400 inches, is uphill from there. When I hiked that trail, the reason we didn't make it to the end was the rain.

I hiked the first two miles of the Kalalau Trail in 2015 after a rainstorm and vowed never to go back. Way too steep, sketchy river crossing, and much too scary for me. Very sad that quite a few people have disappeared from the trail. Stay away if you have even a modicum of fear of heights!

That was awesome! I couldn't believe it when you pronounced Na'Pali correctly,that was sweet! Really sorry for these families and for their heartbreaking stories,and for these men who are missing! That's must be awful,the sense of loss,but not able to put the pieces in their proper place. I feel your pain and I'm sorry. I hate to say it,but he probably is deceased,or he surely would have contacted you by now. I hate to think it was murder,but it is a possibility in these,troubling times. It is possible though,that he could have slipped off the trail,or gotten swept out to the ocean by either groundwater running off,or by the super large surf on North Shore,especially in wintertime. I grew up on Kauai,and I have hiked that trail often. Even at night with only the moon for light. That was 20 years ago,I guess it was a different time. Back then you could trust whoever you met,cuz they were trusting that their family,going holoholo to the other side of the island at that time without them,were in trustworthy hands. That's how we were taught,you take care of strangers,just like they were your own family. You could have faith that your family,wherever they were,in the Islands,were being taken care of the same way. That was Aloha! That was Ohana. That was Malama Pono. That was how! ..I guess that's gone now,too. ... I'm so sorry,there's just not words.

Glad your doing these trail videos. Nice move in direction. Keep the trail danger/missing/trail crime stories coming.

Hearing about the police dept refusing the cadaver dog request, it sounds to me like if you have a hiker in the family it’d be a good idea to keep a current list of organizations that will assist with searches and the resources they have. Some only assist at law enforcement request, but you’d be able to ask that they be called. You’d also be able to offer to pay for their services, such as a cadaver dog, as most depts don’t have them and so contract with a resource that does.

I know your channel isn’t really about these kind of stories but you really have a knack for telling them. You can tell they are well researched and from an objective pov. Thanks for the content :)

It seems worldwide that police aren't interested in doing their jobs! Mile five seems the main possibility if hikers smelled "death", especially with his possessions in the environs. If the cops did their job, they'd potentially have found his remains. If they did, then if his money and phone were with him, it was probably natural causes, if not found, a third party. That guy throwing the Japanese lady off the trail is just mad! It goes to show that any stranger could mean danger.

I told Bobby Brady to put that Tiki Idol back. He must have dropped it on the Kalalau trail.

As someone who was born in Hawaii , this is no joke. People need to be so careful hiking thru some of the areas. The curse is super real to people - prayers to his family❤. Respect da islands always 🌺🌊.

There are wild boar on Kauai. They leave no trace when they kill and eat.

Important re: potential corpses. I was watching your channel on TV; switched to phone to comment here. I do recall cadaver dogs can still pick up traces of a human corpse long after it's been covered up by rain or whatever; might be worth a try. When the son of one of the prime suspects in the Black Dahlia case grew up, he had good reason to suspect his father; cadaver dogs alerted to human remains on the property of his old home, but unfortunately since it no longer belongs to his family he couldn't pursue further investigation (there's a Buzzfeed Unsolved episode if you so desire a quick summary of this). Obviously this was decades after any potential crimes. It might be worth bringing a dog around, perhaps, where the old campsite was. Disclaimer of course that I'm no expert on any of this stuff.

After watching a few of these videos I'm starting to wonder why anyone would hike, at least by themselves, at all! Yikes!

I know it’s a stretch, but having dealt with them, the police in Hawaii, they only really pour in the resources when it deals with native Hawaiians. I dated a woman from there and I’ll tell you, they, the Hawaiians, thumb their nose at those of us from the CONUS part of the country. Can’t say I don’t blame them though. People come in and just trash it, but it might be a reason why the police didn’t follow up on some of these cases.

We lived and did boat tours in this area of the valleys from 1997 to 2003 those valleys were filled with squatters it was dangerous and scary then😱 lm inclined to believe he was attacked for what he had how those people worked very bad people went off the grid out there the lived off the goats & boars also praying on innocent hikers bad MOJO there bad people out there 🙏🏼

Kalalau didn't feel cursed to me when I hiked out there in 2016. It may have been because I didn't know about all the disappearances before going.I was welcomed deeper in the valley where the longterm folk stay. Everyone I met was very kind and generous. They showed me the secret gardens and great waterfalls/swimming holes. Although I did end up leaving a couple weeks early after catching wind of someone getting beat up on the beach. Closer to the beach I found a few different camp setups that looked like they had been abandoned for a long time.. I wasn't sure if it was sketchy or if some campers were just disrespectful and not wanting to carry out what they brought in. Thanks for spreading the word of these cases and info about the trail. In hindsight Im thankful to have survived considering I didn't know much about it before I hiked it. Plus I overpacked and hiked barefoot :/

Aloha from Kauai! I only recently found & subbed to your channel. I wish I had seen this video back when it came out. First, my condolences to the Pinegar family on the disappearance of Jesse. I have only hiked the trail to Hanakapiai, (and that was enough for me)! I have heard so many stories about the Kalalau trail as well as the Kalalau valley. One story I heard a few years back was of a guy, a Camper who was there camping alone and he wasn't feeling well. Allegedly, he was sicker than he thought. He died in his tent from Pneumonia. It took several days sadly before he was discovered. I don't know if this Gentleman's body was the source of the smell that so many people reported. Another thing that is well known is that there has always been somewhat of a "criminal" element present along the trail & in the Valleys. I lived high in the Mountains of Kokee State Park in a charming old cabin for 20 years. I believe that in the late 60's & early 70's (both up in Kokee & in Kalalau valley) the Hippie movement/ Weed Growers began to establish themselves. There was an area at the end of the road there on the North Shore called Taylor Camp. It consisted of a group of locals & outsiders who built their own shanty tree houses/Coconut- Bamboo huts. In fact, I think there's even some RU-vid videos about it still. Taylor Camp no longer exists, but those Weed Growers, and now possible Meth manufacturers could be present there in Kalalau and other remote parts of the island. I myself was born on Kauai, & raised here. One thing that raises its unattractive head here occasionally is Racism. I don't know if any Hawaiian extremists are living in the Valleys leading to Kalalau, and Kalalau valley itself, but its possible. These folks are of mostly Hawaiian ethnicity. They quite rightly are angry about the way Hawaii was taken ( stolen) from the Hawaiian monarchy to become annexed as a territory of the U.S. These folks make up a tiny portion of our population. They have a deep-seated resentment of all other outsiders mostly called the derogatory term " Haole" pronounced "Howl-lee." Which loosely defined means "White People" but, in the Hawaiian context means "Outsider." Its possible that Jesse may have run into these rype of characters and got on their bad side. With that being said, I am of White ethnicity, my family arrived here from England in 1892. That actually makes me & my relatives the actual WORST type of outsider( those with deep family roots. Those deep roots often mean land ownership making us the most unacceptable to the "Kanaka Maoli" ( Native Hawaiian) movement. I agree there are squatters there, as well as dyed in the wool full-blown criminals and possibly a few extremists. SO many people running from the law come to Kauai. They know that they can easily hide here, I unfortunately have met more than a few. I myself have been interested in missing persons cases since someone I briefly met went missing here on Kauai in 1999. In that case, the Police did not begin to search for her until 3wks after she was last seen going hiking in Kokee. The Police looked for her (imo), for less than a week. When I asked one Officer why they would not be continuing the search for her he said Quote; These people often die of exposure, especially in Kokee, when they have been missing for awhile there's a good chance that they're no longer alive. We don't attempt body recovery due to the overpopulation/ infestation of the Wild Boars" He went on to explain that Boars 🐗 eat EVERYTHING! He said they "root" around the bodies, causing the clothing and belongings to be caked with and buried in Mud. They quite literally consume EVERY part of the body, including bone which they grind up and swallow. Sorry, this is an awful thing for the loved one of a missing person to read. It does however neatly explain (for searchers/law enforcement anyway), how and why they give up so easily? There was a famous case on the mainland of the help going missing on a Woman's Pig farm. Later, once investigators were speaking to her, they saw what looked like a Human bone poking out of the Pig Pen. From the last research I have done, there are still over 100 missing persons cases on Kauai. I think the Police here are used to people coming here to disappear on purpose. I think they assume that most of these cases involve that mind-set, as well as those types that think they will go to Kalalau and "live" off the land, grow vegetables, forage for fruit, drink stream water, sleep in their tent, and swim in the sea. These people may run against already established populations in Kalalau ( or along the trail), that don't want competition. Its hard to say what ( if anything), is actually going on there now. Whatever you do, don't watch the thriller movie; "Perfect Getaway" filmed entirely on the Kalalau Trail. Its starring Steve Zahn, Timothy Olyphant and Mila Jovovich. The plot of the movie is not far fetched at all considering what has already REALLY HAPPENED there!😔😳

Great investigative journalism! You’ve put out some very interesting hiking stories. Hopefully someone can provide some additional information in order to give his family some closure. Where’s flossy?

We hiked this trail in the 1990’s - it started to rain just as we hit the first water crossing. We met a group coming back who cautioned us not to continue due to the high probability that we couldn’t safely return. We heeded this advice and we’re lucky to do so as we probably would have been stuck if we had crossed. We even had a section of the trail on our return where a waterfall came out on the brush to the side of the trail and was landing on the trail - it was enough that it could easily sweep your feet our from underneath you if you weren’t careful and pull you down the cliff.

I think you're doing a really great thing for the community with these more serious videos. These people deserve to have their stories told. Also, your subscribers have more than tripled since I started watching. Keep it up.

I encountered a flash flood in the badlands of Dakota. I hiked out into a hilly area…the weather was nice. But there was a storm that day upstream. When I was trying to return to the vehicle….I came up on a now raging river basin that was dry hours earlier. I braved it! It was sketchy because lots of trees and debris were coming down at me. It was only knee high, and it was a challenge to keep my footing in the moving sand floor. Nowadays we could just check our weather app.. this happened in 1995 after Grateful Dead tour ended. I was trying to be in wild places to comfort myself. It worked pretty well. Be safe everyone.

I grew up there in the 70’s and 80’s. Hiked that trail about 50 times starting when I was 12 years old. There’s nothing brutal about it! People have been growing weed there for decades. Could be foul play. Biggest threat in my opinion is bad weather slip and fall which ends in the Pacific if you survive the fall.

You're very kind for helping this family.

How frustrating that the police wouldn't do more in the search for Jesse, I wonder why they declined to search.😢

These hiker stories have finally made me hit the subscribe button. Good job

Great video! I love that you talked with the family and shared their thoughts. And OMG thrown over a cliff!!?? 😲

Too bad. He was way too young. If you have to go, I can’t think of a better place. I hiked there in 1986, and will never forget it. I remember bathing in a pool right under a waterfall. I’ve never had an experience like that. It was like swimming in a champagne glass, caressed by thousands of tiny bubbles. At that time, clothes were optional. and most people declined the option. I can see why he was drawn to this place. I had never heard of the dark side of the trail. The curse. I just thought it was paradise on earth. Very disappointed in the police inaction. Were they afraid tourism might be affected negatively? Who knows. Hopefully something definitive will show up. The family deserves that.

Almost 150k already! You're crushin it with these different types of videos.

I don't know if you ever covered the case of another missing hiker on Oahu. I don't remember the name just now, he was 17 and had a grandmother, both native. He went up the stairway to heaven in Oahu and took some pics and uploaded while there and then disappeared. I read different things from people heard someone yelling for help around that time and also on one of the pics seems to be a person lurking around. In one article it said the person came forward and was cleared. But I don't know what's the truth. Pretty sure he fell.

There is NO curse on the island or the trail. The trail (all trails on the north and west shores of the islands) is subject to extensive rains, high winds and high surf. Flash floods are common and even a trivial sprinkle can turn the red dirt trails into a deadly water slide. Add in the potential for year-round outdoor living and you get a large number of vagrants. The bigger risk than some supposed curse is that your car will be broken into at the trailhead.

Decades ago I iived on the Islands. I have not been to this island but a few of the other ones. I was shown hidden trail that was once part of the Royal progression Funeral trail. I was also informed of all the taboos that had to be observed at all ties or you could die, disappear, etc. Hawaiian culture has many superstitions. It has also been said that the Islands were once part of Lemuria. I felt I was beig watched and judged by a thousand eyes. I could feel the presence of other-worldly things. but I contued to walk and also observed all taboos. I thought I was gone for 20 minutes, but when I came out, 8 hours had passed and the people I was with had left hours ago so I had to hitch, alone, to get home. I believe there are thigs we don't understand there and the place has a magical feeling.

I live in New Zealand and so many tourists underestimate bush and rainforest, and how exhausting moving and navigating in those areas, as well as the different skills required to florish in them.

I was suppose to hike the trail in Dec 2012, and when we arrived at our hotel, the concierge informed us of the incident with the Japanese tourist. They had just closed the park that day. It didn't open up again for a few weeks, I believe. They also made everyone already in leave. I finally made it back to Kauai last year and hiked the trail and it was amazing!

I'm from Utah where this family comes from. Their last name is pronounced PIN-uh-gurr, not PINE-gar. It is a very large family, indeed. Thank you for keeping awareness of this case alive.

Kyle, you excel at commentary and investigative reporting. Clear and concise; your humanity shining through. New Subscriber.

Love these investigative/analysis videos. Great work, Kyle!

Thanks for drawing attention to these missing hikers. I can’t imagine what the families are going through.

Aloha! I live on Oahu and I've previously hiked several dangerous trails including the Kalalau trail on Kauai. Many of these trails are kapu (forbidden by the locals) and are not only dangerous because of the terrain but also because the locals will not be kind to you whatsoever if you are caught on their ancient hawaiian 'aina (land). I have heard of coconuts being thrown at peoples heads lol. I have a friend who's husband died on Kauai right before hiking the Kalalau trail and the circumstances were suspect to say the least. He happened to be drinking, had a heart attack and fell off a lanai. He was 33 years old. Sounds like a curse to me! The police treated the situation as if he was a stupid irrisposible haole and had no business being on the island in the first place. It's unfortunate, but white people are not treated very kindly in the islands due to the oppressive history we imposed on the Hawaiian people (rightfully so). The sad truth is that it sounds to me like Jesse Pinegar is being treated as one of those disrespectful, white haoles hiking on their sacred native lands and causing "trouble" for the kanaka. I'm not saying it's justified, but people who have Hawaiian blood in them do not always appreicate or respect foreigners because, again - historically they've acted like total idiots. If you want a perfect example, google Mark Zuckerberg's controversial 1500 acre estate and his "north shore kalo LLC". Another important thing to note about Kalalau is that the permit system is extremely strict and heavily enforced. If you don't accuire the proper camping permit you will likely be asked to leave and escorted off the trail by DLNR (department of land and natural resources). These authorities are no joke and act like the nature police but in the form of big, scary, Samoan body builders who will do pretty much anything to protect the land. Don't even think about digging a cat hole, you might be shitting on someone's ancestral burial ground. Also, the back of the valley if like a commune. People who have been living back there for over 20 years, growing their own food and surviving in homeless encampments. It's lawless and rugged af. The authorities do nothing. It's like the wild west out here. If you choose to venture out into wild island territory you should absolutely know the risks involved. Sharks are the least of your problems. Angry locals protecting their parking stalls, centipedes, flash floods, rip currents, falling off cliffs and leptospirosis are just a few terrifying troubles you might encounter in paradise.

There are lots of very dangerous hikes in Hawaii. The beauty of them are Beyond description as well. Some of them are no longer accessible. On the big island of Hawaii. The Waipio rim trail, which goes along the top edge of the waipio valley is staggering. I remember standing looking down the cliff which disappears, you can't see the bottom of, then looking out across to the other side of the valley, which is miles away, and not being able to see the bottom of that valley cliff either, it is so high up.

Been loving these videos. Definitely keep it up. Unfortunately I'm sure there's millions of these stories from across the world

Great video Kyle, thank you for sharing it. All the best to you. Stay say safe out there.

So sad to lose someone you love, especially so far from home.

My deepest condolences the family ❤ I pray he is in the arms of the Lord. I grew up in Hawaii on several islands including Kauai. I hiked the Kalalau trail. It is a very steep long trail with cliffs but it’s actually not extremely difficult for an experienced hiker. Many people hike that trail so it tends to be very populated by locals & tourists. Also there’s lots of beaches in the valleys. Swimming alone it’s possible something went wrong or a shark attack. I must say that I am not the slightest bit surprised to hear that the local police wouldn’t investigate. I lived there as a young girl with my sisters brother and mom. I can tell you from first hand experience, the police there were very corrupt. An police officer picked up my teenage sister and tried to take her out to the cane feilds probably to rape and murder her. Our close friend was the daughter of a police officer there, she was 15 when she was stalked and followed by another officer on her way walking home from school on oscillated roads and she told us she was afraid. She also told us that there were a lot of young teenage girls that weee being raped by the local police officers. We were also told by other local women on the island that they witnessed brutal rapes and murders of many women there by police officers. They had something called the “killing fields” the cane field where they would take young women there to rape murder and bury countless victims. Many travelers tourists who have gone missing there since the 80’s and the police cover these up. The FBI and other legal advocates have tried getting involved there to bust the dirty cops, but since the island is soo small, they all know each other and are either sworn to silence or threatened to silence. The Japanese and Hawaiian mafia run that island. Thinking back at the hell my family went through there, it scares me to think how much worse it could have been for us. They turned on all the gas in our house and left matches and a cigarette next to the stove. They put us through hell. God protected us from the worst of it but we did suffer some very heavy and dangerous events. I’m sorry for your loss, I am praying for your uncle and family.

More great information and interesting stories. Love your channel. Thanks! ❤

That’s crazy how many times clothing and such are found but not remains…and some times, bodies turn up weeks later, in places that were searched heavily. Idk which is creepier. 🕊️

Just found your channel and I am Hooked! This is such a sad story. I wish there was a gps locator of some kind that all hikers could carry so this horrible situation could stop.

They always blame homeless you don't have to be a homeless person to be a murderer

I just discovered your channel and I love it. I'm subscribed.

Could listen to your stories all day. Keep up the great work 👍 👏

Yiur take on these is awesome. prayers for the family 🌻

Random thoughts. I've smelled quite a few rotting things in my life, and I'm not sure if I could specify if something was a pig, goat, or anything else. It is a very distinctive smell, though.

Why else does a person suddenly decide to change plans, fly to another location, and rent a car? That person met someone who seemed like a new friend and was led by the deceptive person to at least a bad experience.

Keep Jesse and his family in your prayers.

I found you back before 50k subs randomly because of a search I did for a backpack review and subscribed to help get you to 50. Love all your videos and happy to see your momentum 🎉 Cheers 😁

Obsessed with this channel! Incredible content ❤

Great video as always man!

Very cool video. Especially since you had just hiked it and referenced it as you told the stories. Congrats on almost reaching 150k! You've found your nitch.

‘One of the most dangerous trails in America’. In the background, the carnivorous jungle rooster screeches in agreement.

thanks for this story .. May the families find closure in all this ..

145K subscribers.. Your channel is blowing up fast 👍.. Congrats

The policy's disinterest isn't because of some curse, it's because they're backwoods cops who look upon "cityfolk" and mainlanders with disdain.

Thanx Kyle that made me wanna learn more about nicky their ambiguous loss & hoping youll make video bout those other mysteries on that trail

Thank you, Kyle. Your narrating style and piecing together of the story is really engaging. I hope that your video results in some positive information. Thank you.

No curse here. Just really dangerous.

"Pinegar" pronounced like "vinegar." Jesse "Pin-eh-ghur."

You are going next level bro. Well done.

New here, really enjoy your videos. Hope to see you on the trail one day!

Dude, I have a friend who, when she was a teenager, went into that valley with some random dude, then found out he was not leaving, she had to stay there till someone showed up who was only visiting and could show her the way out. She was there for months, and her parents and police were looking for her. When she got back to town, she was surprised to see missing person posters all over the place with her face on them. Oh, and the teeth? I opened a dental office up there but my patients only wanted to pay me in Weed. LoL.

How heartbreaking!!!! I hope his family finds peace someday.