It was a long night for 16 North Shore Rescue volunteers Wednesday who were out combing the bush looking for two sets of lost and possibly injured hikers. The team got the first call at 9:30 p.m. after someone reported two men overdue from a hike to the Widowmaker Arete north of Grouse Mountain.
The two were originally due back Tuesday night. With no helicopter available, search manager Mike Danks sent two teams in on foot, one from Grouse and one from the Lynn Headwaters trail. While they were en route, North Vancouver RCMP requested help with a second pair of hikers around 11 p.m. after a woman twisted her ankle and her partner started making his way south in search of cell coverage. Luckily, the pair were within five kilometres of the team in Lynn Headwaters when they called. It took until 5 a.m. for the team to help the pair out.
The Grouse team meanwhile was having no luck in finding any sign of their subjects. Danks arranged for a Talon helicopter to search the area and shuttle exhausted searchers out at first light.
"This was becoming very concerning for us because at that point we thought we had potentially two injured individuals who were unresponsive," Danks said. Around 9 a.m., the team got word the two men had made their way back to Grouse after becoming lost in the steep, dangerous terrain of Crown Creek.
"(It was) quite surprising but a relief nonetheless. We were very happy they were OK," Danks said.
The incident highlights the need for accurate communication and planning if you're heading into the backcountry, Danks said. "We have no choice but to respond and we're going to be responding as if it's a worst-case scenario," he said. "We had all our members at night, hiking in very dangerous terrain. We really hope that people can learn from this."
