With three more rescue notches on their belts in less than a week, North Shore Rescue says people aren’t getting the message that winter conditions are still making backcountry trails dangerous.
“We’ve seen that in several calls this spring. It’s kind of the theme. People are going to hike and not realizing there’s still a lot of snow back there and then losing the trail,” said Doug Pope, North Shore Rescue search manager.
The team scrambled in bad weather Wednesday evening when they received a report of a 32-year-old woman lost in the backcountry. She had made it out of still-closed Hanes Valley, despite not being prepared for the snow, but lost her way on Dam Mountain, just north of the Grouse Mountain chalet.
Luckily, she had some cell reception from where she wound up in the treacherous Drifter Creek drainage on the steep slope heading down to Capilano Lake.
The team was preparing to long-line her out but the bad weather turned worse and rescuers had no choice but to drop a team in on foot. During the ascent up the rocky cliffs, one of the members twisted and injured his knee, hampering the effort.
“He was in quite a bit of pain but he was able to continue,” Pope said. “It took several hours.” Despite the injury, getting the cell call out and the rescuers in might have been fateful.
“It was pouring rain and cold all night. ... She would have been hypothermic (Thursday) morning,” Pope said. “Without cell contact, I don’t think she would have gotten out of there on her own and it would have been difficult for us to find her.”
A Seattle man was rescued Sunday afternoon from Hollyburn Mountain after he lost his way in the snow. Later that night, two hikers wound up in trouble on Mount Seymour. They were well prepared hikers but after nightfall, they lost the trail, thanks again, in part, to the snow.
“They were following tracks in the snow to help them stay on trail but they ended up following a bear’s tracks down a gully of Suicide Creek,” he said. “Luckily, they didn’t run into the bear.”
In an effort to aid the team, West Vancouver secondary woodworking students have been making trail signs.
“It’s been great. They’ve been making them for us for free and we’ve been co-ordinating with them on what we want put on the signs and the key areas we find people lost,” Pope said.
