A 26-year-old Victoria man, who decided to climb Mount Albert Edward in Strathcona Provincial Park Saturday despite bad weather conditions, was rescued Sunday morning after an intensive overnight search.
Surprisingly, the man was cold, wet and disoriented, but in fairly good condition and was released shortly after being taken to St. Joseph’s General Hospital in Comox, said Paul Berry, Comox Valley Ground Search and Rescue search manager.
“It could have been very different in these types of conditions,” Berry said.
The man and his girlfriend camped overnight Friday at Circlet Lake. On Saturday morning he decided to hike up the 2,093-metre mountain, despite “horrible” weather conditions, Berry said.
“He had a little disagreement with his girlfriend as she did not want him to make the attempt, and he went off anyway,” Berry said.
The man successfully climbed the mountain, but then became disoriented and descended in the wrong direction.
He was reported missing about 9 p.m. Saturday. Search and Rescue started looking for him about midnight.
Sometimes that’s the best time for a search, as the person being sought is usually sitting still and both light and sound carry across the darkness, Berry said.
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A total of 28 searchers turned out from Comox Valley, Cowichan Lake, Nanaimo, Port Alberni and Campbell River.
Weather conditions included winds of 50 to 60 kilometres an hour – making it difficult for helicopters to get teams into the area. There was also heavy rain, fog and cool temperatures, with fresh snow on the peaks.
“There are a lot of very steep and dangerous areas, and this young fellow was not well-prepared,” Berry said.
The hiker found his way to Gem Lake and to the Oyster River logging area, where he found a logging company fire truck parked in the bush. He spent the night in the truck.
“He was very pleased to see us.”
It is the third rescue in that area in the last month and a half, said Berry, who wants hikers to make sure they are adequately prepared.
A map and compass are vital, he said. Routes need to be carefully planned as the area has no marked trails.
“People need to be aware of the types of hazards and take all the equipment they might need to possibly spend the night out,” Berry said.
That includes food, water and something to start a fire, he said.
Meanwhile, another man was helicoptered out of a fish farm Saturday in Phillips Arm, about 50 kilometres north of Campbell River, after he was cut off by a mudslide.
Sayward RCMP praised Campbell River Search and Rescue and a pilot with West Coast Helicopters for braving poor weather conditions to rescue the man.
However, Terry Eissfeldt, West Coast Helicopters general manager, said it was a normal rescue mission.
“We do this sort of thing every day,” he said.
The fish-farm employee was having difficulty reporting to his employer through a GPS transmitter because the satellite was not responding, so he then pushed the OK button several times, Eissfeldt said.
That triggered alarm signals and it was then found the man could not get to a nearby cabin, where there was radio-communication equipment, because the road was blocked by a mudslide.
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