North Shore Rescue called in overnight to find 5 lost hikers

Five hikers spent an unexpected and unprepared night in the rain, wind, and snow on the North Shore Mountains.

The group lost its way Monday night on their way down from Lynn Peak, North Shore Rescue search manager Dave Barnett says.

Speaking to CityNews, Barnett says the group, made up of five men in their 20s, became disoriented in bad weather after the sun went down.

Going in by foot and air, NSR was able to get the men to safety overnight.

“Probably at 10:30 p.m., after hiking for three hours or so, our teams caught up with these guys. They were in a very steep area. And by using some ropes or whatnot, we were able to access them,” he said.

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NSR attempted to rescue the men around midnight using its helicopter and hoist, but due to the conditions overnight, it had to relaunch early Tuesday morning.

“We returned back here to Bone Creek, waited for an opening, and launched again and this time we were successful,” he explained. “So, we took the two coldest hikers out and brought them back to Bone Creek. They were handed off and assessed by BC Ambulance but other than being really cold, they’re okay, which is fortunate for those two.”

The other three members of the group have been hiking out Tuesday morning.

“It was a long night, very cold, and they’re extremely lucky. They weren’t as prepared as they should be for that temperature and those conditions.”

Speaking to CityNews Monday night, Barnett explained the hikers were “in an area where they’re off the trail, it gets quite steep on either side. They’re right near the summit of Lynn Peak. The weather up there is really poor, it’s raining, and it’s getting cold. There is a fair amount of snow on the ground still, it’s wet.”

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However, Barnett says while the hikers weren’t equipped for the conditions, they did do a “couple of things that were appreciated.”

“They were in contact with parents who knew where they were. They stayed together. There were five of them and they didn’t split up, which was really fortunate as it can happen in cases like this. And they stayed tight.

“They’re going to be much better next time, I’m sure,” he said.

-With files from James Paracy