A pair of hikers on Burke Mountain had to be rescued with the help of a police helicopter early Sunday morning.
The two Port Coquitlam men set off on the Lake View Trail in search of Coquitlam Lake, not realizing the trail doesn't actually go there, and eventually ran out of daylight.
"They were on the trail and it was getting dark and they decided to take a shortcut, which is always a bad idea," said Jim Delgrande, search manager for Coquitlam Search and Rescue (SAR).
Searchers were tasked by Coquitlam RCMP after they received a call from the hikers at about 10 p.m.
Two search teams headed towards the Sawblade mountain bike trail from different directions and the pair was located at about 2 a.m. The RCMP helicopter Air 1 was also dispatched, and they were able to spot a fire the hikers had started and radio in their approximate position.
"We certainly don't recommend lost people build fires at this time of year because they're going to burn the mountain down," Delgrande said, adding a flashlight or camera flash pointed up at a helicopter or plane works as well.
The hikers didn't have a flashlight, however, one of several things they did wrong, Delgrande said.
"They didn't allow enough time and they were not well equipped. We always tell people to go out with the 10 essentials, no matter how good the weather looks, and one of those things is a flashlight or head lamp."
Hikers also shouldn't rely on cell phones to get them out of trouble, given the potential for batteries to die and spotty cell phone coverage up on the mountain.
"They were just lucky," Delgrande said. "They were facing the right way. Typically the reception there is very poor."
The two were able to hike out by 3 a.m.
