Where there's smoke, there's a lost hiker who should've called North Shore Rescue earlier.
It was a busy weekend for NSR as teams scrambled a helicopter Saturday to give a lift to a hiker who'd made an unfortunate equipment choice.
A pair of thin shoes with individual toes left the backcountry adventurer sore and possibly suffering from a sprained ankle, according to NSR spokesman Mike Danks.
"He was in rough shape," Danks said. "He was wearing those (barefoot sports shoes) and he was having a real tough time on the trail."
The shoes have been criticized by rescue agencies for not providing enough grip or stability, potentially leading to ankle injuries.
North Shore Rescue managed to lift the tenderfoot and his friend out of a trail near Elsay Lake just before dark, but they didn't have to wait long for their next call.
While walking the Lynn Loop in Lynn Headwaters Park Saturday afternoon, a 38-year-old hiker feeling particularly exuberant decided to head north, losing his way at Norvan Falls.
Unable to get a cellphone signal, the discombobulated rambler started scaling Coliseum Mountain.
With afternoon fading, the Burnaby man called his brother and requested his family search for him if he wasn't home in a few hours.
After scouring Lynn Headwaters proved fruitless, the hiker's family called the RCMP, who contacted NSR.
With no solid information about the hiker's whereabouts, NSR deployed teams along Lynn Loop and in the Seymour Demonstration Forest. "The one good thing he had was an additional battery for his phone, but that did not last very long because he was using (the phone) as a light," Danks said.
After two cellphone batteries burned out, the hiker started a campfire on the north side of Norvan Falls. It was about 2:45 a.m. when a NSR volunteer smelled the smoke and the
team reached him. The squad guided the man to safety shortly afterward.
He had a sore knee but was otherwise OK, according to Danks.
The hiker made the mistake of not calling NSR until the sun went down - which meant a more challenging search and more manpower, according to Danks.
The incident is part of a troubling trend, according to the NSR spokesman.
"We have these people going out and doing these hikes and they're not registering at the trailheads," Danks said. "It's been happening a lot lately."
When there's no trail to follow, NSR members end up questioning friends and family to find out the errant hiker's intended route, according to Danks.
Hikers heading into the backcountry should pack a map, compass, phone, headlamp, matches, pocketknife, thermal tarp, first-aid kid, food and water, according to NSR.
