Two teenagers were rescued after becoming lost in snowy conditions on Mount Seymour provincial park on Wednesday, according to North Shore Rescue.
Lost on the Descent
The pair had set out to summit Runner Peak, a challenging 1,420-metre hike near Mount Seymour. During their descent, they encountered difficulties navigating the steep, snow-covered slope. Without a map, the hikers inadvertently headed north instead of south on the Elsay Lake trail, moving deeper into the backcountry and away from the parking lot and trailhead, the search and rescue group reported.
iPhone SOS to the Rescue
Once the teens realized they were lost, they used their iPhone emergency satellite SOS feature to call for help. A helicopter rescue team from North Shore Rescue and Talon Helicopters responded to the call. When the helicopter approached, the hikers flashed a light, enabling rescuers to pinpoint their location from the air. The pair, who ended up in an area north of Canadian Pass, were hoisted to safety.
Lessons Learned
“These two hikers were lightly equipped and had become wet and cold throughout their ordeal,” North Shore Rescue said in a social media post on Thursday. Runner Peak still has snow at this time of year and should be considered a mountaineering objective requiring equipment such as an ice axe and crampons, not simply a hiking destination. The pair did not have mountaineering gear and were unable to safely descend the snowy slope.
In sharing lessons from the rescue, the volunteer-run organization urged hikers to download maps for offline use, noting that cell service can be spotty or non-existent in many backcountry areas. The group also recommends carrying a paper map and compass, along with an external battery pack. They reminded anyone venturing into the backcountry to carry 10 essential items, including a flashlight or headlamp, signalling device, fire starter, warm clothes, and navigation tools.
