North Shore Rescue says a hiker is lucky to have survived after becoming lost in the snow, deep in the North Vancouver backcountry.
The team was called out Thursday afternoon after a man called 911 from Rector Peak, a remote mountaintop north of Mount Seymour.
The hiker, who was visiting from the Netherlands, had set out at 7:30 a.m. from the Mount Seymour parking lot, hoping to follow the trails all the way to the Seymour Dam and come back via the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve – an ambitious hike for experienced hikers in summer conditions.
But, after about eight hours, he found himself in deep snow and deeper trouble with no trail in sight, said John Blown, search manager. At the time, he had about five per cent battery left on his phone and the temperature was about -5 C.
“We didn’t have his actual co-ordinates. We just had the description of where he was. [It was] unknown if he was injured, and said he might be on a cliff,” Blown said. “Light was fading fast.”
It so happened that North Shore Rescue members were just about to start a night hoist training session, and so the team and helicopter were already good to go from the Bone Creek SAR station on the edge of Mount Seymour.
Because it was such a short flight away, rescuers were able to spot the man’s cellphone flashlight easily with night-vision goggles and find a nearby spot to do a hover exit, Blown said.
“He was OK, but very cold,” he said. “He was wearing cotton clothing, his clothes were soaked and if he was up there all night, I don’t think he would have survived.”
Blown said it was clear the hiker hadn’t properly researched the route he was attempting to do.
In 22 years with the team, Blown said it’s the first time he’d ever been called to Rector Peak. There is typically little to no cell coverage in that area, and the only one who knew he was going on the hike was his girlfriend at home in the Netherlands.
“So, who knows how long it would have taken her to contact authorities and get us out looking,” he said. “We made sure to let him know that he was very lucky.”
If the team didn’t have access to a night-flying helicopter, it would have been an all-night slog just to reach the man’s general area, with no certainty of where to find him.
“It would have been an extremely challenging rescue,” he said with a laugh. “That would have taken the full resources of the team, at least all night and into the next morning.”
The call also represents a turning point in the year for North Shore Rescue. With winter conditions to be expected from here on out, the risks are amplified for anyone venturing into the mountains.
“Make sure you research your route, research the conditions, bring proper clothing and equipment and navigation aids. Make sure you tell someone locally where you’re going and what you’re doing and when to expect you back,” he said.
