The rescue of three lost hikers from the North Shore has prompted a warning from search crews to be “properly prepared” if you’re heading out into the backcountry.
North Shore Rescue rescued the trio by helicopter Monday morning after they spent a chilly night in the mountains.
The group were attempting the steep hike to Colosseum Mountain, but ran out of daylight during their return and took a wrong turn.
The hikers called for help around 10 p.m.
North Shore Rescue search manager Paul Markey said the group got lucky, and “weren’t prepared.”
“They set off at 1 p.m. in the afternoon to do a hike which typically you would need 10 to 12 hours to do, and so the they just didn’t have enough daylight to do the hike,” he said.
“They also got some advice from a park ranger to turn around at one point, because they wouldn’t have time to complete the hike in daylight, but they continued … they were not carrying a flashlight and a light source other than cell phones.”
North Shore Rescue is reminding anyone heading into the backcountry to carry the 10 essentials and do their research before tackling any of the long, difficult mountain trails.