After watching a spectacular sunset from a unique mountain vantage point, things quickly turned dark and dangerous for a group of ill-equipped hikers in West Vancouver on Saturday night.
The group of seven hikers from the Vancouver area had set out from Cypress Mountain on a 11-kilometre hike to St. Mark’s Summit on the Howe Sound Crest Trail to watch the sun go down.
“I don’t know what to say,” said North Shore Rescue leader Mike Danks. “I mean you go up to watch the sunset and then don’t have a light source to get back. I mean, nothing against these people. They’re all nice people, well-intentioned people, but they were wearing runners with neoprene booties over top and absolutely zero traction. Needless to say they almost immediately went off route.”
Danks said the hikers ended up on the west side of St. Mark’s, high up in the Charles Creek drainage area.
“As soon as you start descending into that area it’s very steep.”
Danks said the hikers were sinking up to their knees in snow.
A total of 14 rescue team members responded to the call and were assisted by Cypress Mountain crews who transported the volunteer rescuers by snowmobile to the trailhead.
Once they located the hikers, Danks said the first thing they did was get them moving in order “to generate some heat.”
A physician with the rescue team assessed one of the hikers who was a diabetic before hiking down.
North Shore Rescue has recently promoted campaigns to educate backcountry users of the perils of being improperly prepared when venturing into the local mountains.
“Again I think it comes down to planning your trip accordingly. If you are going up to see the sunset you know you are going to be in the dark so make sure you have not just one light source but two just in case. And of course the 10 essentials (a list of 10 items available at northshorerescue.com) and I think that those guys learned a big lesson too because one of their members got very, very, very cold. None of their members brought extra layers so these guys got really cold.”
On Sunday, North Shore Rescue was called out again at around 5 p.m., this time on Mount Seymour. The rescue team were called out to assist a 22-year-old male who had potentially fractured his ankle just north of First Pump Peak. He was in a group of six hikers that were also not properly equipped.
“They had one light source in the group and they didn’t bring any extra layers of clothing,” said Danks.
The hikers did, however, manage to help their injured companion make it down a considerable distance before they were met by North Shore Rescue.
“The group did a very good job of bringing him back out.” Seymour staff also helped in the rescue.
“It comes down to the basic messaging: when you are planning your trip, let somebody know where you are going and bring the right equipment for the time of season and the current conditions,” said Danks.
