WATCH: A day hike on a North Shore mountain turned into a major rescue operation. A 73-year-old man had set out for a trek on Mount Seymour yesterday, only to get lost and contact his son asking for help. As Julia Foy tells us, it ended happily.
Search and rescue crews on the North Shore located a 73-year-old man who failed to return home from a day of hiking on Mount Seymour.
Family members called RCMP when William Gies, an experienced hiker didn’t return home Friday night.
Gies had planned to spend the day on a perimeter trail. He eventually managed to contact his son, saying he was OK and hunkered down in one place.
Crews began a search, which was hampered by the rain and fog. In total, over a dozen volunteers searched all night, but to no avail.
At first light, under grey skies and cool rain, they were joined by others.
“We called mutual aid from both Coquitlam and Lions Bay Search and Rescue. We’ll use them to bolster the few resources we’ve got,” said Greg Miller of North Shore Rescue.
Eventually they reached the man Saturday morning and got him out safely.
“It’s not as good as a feather bed, but it was fine,” said Gies about his night on the wilderness.
He did have one regret, however.
“I have a fairly old cell phone. A modern cell phone would have made life for my family and North Shore much more easier.”
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