Two women who got lost while hiking on the Stawamus Chief in Squamish were located by search and rescue crew members on Monday.
The women, believed to be in their 30s, had to stay on the mountain overnight after getting stuck in a gully.
They were not on the traditional trail that leads hikers up to the summit.
They called 9-1-1 after dark last night when they went off the trail.
It was a complicated rescue with Squamish Search and Rescue determining they couldn’t get to the stranded hikers by foot. Instead a helicopter was called in and members were dropped into the region using a long-line. A second trip was needed to drop equipment.
Rescuers say the women were not prepared to stay out overnight.
“It was really cold, It was snowing,”said rescued hiker Christina Metherall.
“We had almost no phone battery left, and if we were going to have to call for help, we were going to have to call soon, and so we kind of had to make a tough call about getting other people involved.”
“There’s a checklist of things you can do to make sure you can do it smartly,” said fellow rescued hiker Shannon Lawrence. “We didn’t do all of them, but we’re pretty solid on doing those next time.”
The experience provided some tough lessons. Search and Rescue crews say it also serves as a warning to outdoor enthusiasts that winter isn’t over yet and conditions can be highly unpredictable.
– With files from Catherine Urquhart
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