Hikers reminded to prepare for conditions as North Shore Rescue records another busy weekend
Posted November 9, 2020 10:02 pm.
Last Updated November 10, 2020 6:13 am.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – It has been yet another busy few days for search and rescue teams in B.C.’s North Shore.
North Shore Rescue team lead Mike Danks says on Saturday, crews were called out three times, including twice to the exact same area.
Danks says a woman slipped on some ice on the Howe Sound Crest Trail and just as a rescue chopper set off to grab her, they got a call saying a 68-year-old man had fallen in the same spot and fractured his arm.
“To be honest, both those hikers were prepared for the conditions it’s just that there’s been a change in conditions and ice there. So both were long-lined out by two different crews to the Cypress parking lot and were transported by ambulance.”
Related article: North Shore Rescue issues warning, on pace to set new record
Later that day, with the helicopter running on the last bits of fuel, the team was called out to help some unprepared hikers who had lost their way near Mt Strachan.
He says there was a similar call Monday night with a hiker that wasn’t prepared for the darkness to settle in and needed some help near Mount Fromme.
“They again were not prepared for the conditions, they did not have a light source with them,” he says. “They made the call right as the sun was setting because they were scared they were not going to be able to get out and they were not sure exactly where they were.”
Danks is again reminding the public to think twice and be well prepared before heading out and be aware of the change in weather as well as temperature.
“Down in the city, it’s raining. But up in the mountains, there’s a lot of snow so people really need to make sure they’re prepared. It was the same thing with these hikers, they just were not prepared,” he says. “Footwear, lighting, trip plan, you name it, it just kind of went sideways. But they got lucky.”
Earlier this year the team warned people to think twice before heading out into the mountains, after being flooded with calls for help and placing a major strain on resources.
