‘I thought I was going to die’: Hiker rescued from Crown Mountain
Posted October 9, 2018 6:32 am.
Last Updated October 9, 2018 10:50 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
NORTH SHORE (NEWS 1130) – A tourist from the U.K. has been rescued from Crown Mountain after he became stranded on a cliff.
The man was using an app on his phone Monday afternoon, but got turned around.
“Basically, I just thought I was going to die for 15 hours,” said Michael Buckingham. “A guy came down with supplies. They were amazing.”
The 37-year-old was by himself when he ended up on a cliff above a steep dropoff on the Crown Buttress route on Monday.
“It’s an extremely steep hiking route. It’s not the sort of thing you should be out casually, doing it on your own,” explained search manager Don Jardine.
Buckingham said when he saw crews arrive, he was “basically just crying. Crying like a little girl.”
The man was stranded on a steep ledge, which helped him get better cellphone coverage. He was able to call a friend, who then called RCMP. Police were then able to get in touch with North Shore Rescue.
He was helicoptered down Tuesday morning.
Buckingham said he’s learned a lot from this experience.
“Do a lot of research. Leave early. Leave a lot of time. Take warm kits, take a torch… I was lucky, I had a full battery pack, so my phone life went on forever.”
Buckingham is thankful to be back on solid ground.
“I won’t do it again.”
– With files from Greg Harper
