North Vancouver RCMP are investigating a bizarre stabbing that took place on one of the North Shore's most popular hiking trails.
A 59-year-old Vancouver man was heading up the BCMC trail on Grouse Mountain around 4 p.m. Tuesday, when he happened across a stranger coming down the trail. The two got into an "unprovoked altercation" according to North Vancouver RCMP,
resulting in the 59-year-old man being stabbed in the abdomen.
After making his way down the mountain and running into some other hikers, the victim was rushed to Lions Gate Hospital for non-life threatening injuries.
"He's very lucky. The puncture wound did not go as deep as we first thought so he was released in the morning from Lions Gate Hospital and he's recovering at home, said Cpl. Richard De Jong, North Vancouver RCMP spokesman the day after the stabbing. "Fortunately (it) did not puncture vital organs."
RCMP called in their emergency response team and police dog unit to sniff out the suspect and any other potential victims on the trail Tuesday night.
Though investigators combed the area for hours, they still have no suspect.
The trail, including the Grouse Grind, remained closed until midday Wednesday as police searched the trail's edges looking for any clues that may point them to a suspect.
Police describe the attacker as a white male in his late teens with a slim build and short, dark hair. There is no known motive in the stabbing and police say the victim and assailant do not know each other.
Police are asking the public to report any suspicious persons or incident to the North Vancouver RCMP at 604-985-1311.
