Two groups of experienced hikers got more than they bargained for when they reached the snow line and darkness started to descend on the Halvor Lunden and Swan Falls trails on Eagle Mountain in Anmore last Saturday night.
A woman who was hiking with a group of people and a man and woman who were snow shoeing were rescued within hours of each other in two separate incidents on the mountain’s snowy slopes thanks to Coquitlam Search and Rescue.
“Definitely treat the mountains as if it was full winter,” warned Michael Coyle, Coquitlam Search and Rescue spokesperson, who said the rescued hikers were prepared and experienced, but were bogged down by the snow which made for slow going.
In the first rescue, a 64-year-old woman was lifted off the Halvor Lunden trail by helicopter.
Rescuers used a longline system because it would have taken too long for volunteers to get her out by foot. She had injured her ankle and rescue workers thought it was broken.
Paramedics greeted the woman when she landed at the SAR command centre at Buntzen Lake.
“The group appeared properly equipped, and the members who attended said the trail is slippery and that could have contributed to the injury,” Coyle said.
The first rescue was still going on in the early evening when the teams received a second call about a couple who had gotten lost on the Swan Falls trail after completing the Halvor Lunden hike.
Deep snow hampered the rescue crew and Coyle said it took the volunteers more than four hours to get to the couple whose position was identified via a screen capture from the GPS on their cell phones.
After warming them up using hand warmers and a special vest that heats up the body’s core temperature, the volunteers walked the couple back to the command centre, reaching the parking lot at approximately 1 a.m.
Coyle said the route got icy as temperatures dropped and a rope team had to be sent up to assist.
Although the hikers appeared to be well prepared, Coyle advises people to plan for weather, hours of daylight and temperature and bring all hiking gear. “If you don’t have snow shoes you are going to have a very hard time.”
Last Saturday’s rescues were among four call-outs this past week, including two missing person’s cases that were solved, and Coyle said he expects the volunteer crews will be doing more as the seasons change and spring arrives.
“The unifying message for both — they were well equipped, but still you have to be careful this time of year.”
