North Vancouver Fire crews were called to the Grouse Grind Sunday morning to perform three separate rescues on the steep trail at the same time.
District of North Vancouver Fire Department assistant fire chief Brian Hutchinson says the triple rescue was fluke timing, and involved one man with chest pains, one woman with an unknown medical condition, and a third patient having to be carried off the mountain on stretchers.
Multiple rescue crews ascended the trail around 9:30 a.m. PT but kept the popular hiking route open. Around 10:30, a third rescue of an unknown individual began after crews on their way down from the second rescue came across another hiker in distress below the one-quarter mark on the trail.
Once at the bottom of the trail, the patients were assessed by ambulance paramedics.
The rush of rescues coincides with some of the hottest temperatures the Metro Vancouver region has seen so far this year.
Temperatures at Vancouver Airport are expected to reach 29 C, and 32 C inland, on Sunday. Grouse Mountain reports temperatures at the top of the mountain were 27 C as of 10 a.m.
Hutchinson says at least one of the patients his team rescued today likely fell ill due to a combination of exertion and heat exhaustion.
“We’re starting the summer, the weather’s picking up and we’ve got a good warm day here and perhaps people aren’t as prepared as they could be heading out onto a fairly arduous trail.”
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Mike Danks of North Shore Rescue says it’s important for hikers to keep within their physical limitations, especially in hot weather.
“If you haven’t been that active, don’t go out and do the Grouse Grind,” Danks told Global News.
The cliff-hugging hike, nicknamed “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster” is only 2.9 kilometres but ascends 853 metres over 2,830 steps.
“That’s a hard hike for many people and there’s a lot of easier trails they can start out with to kind of ease into it.”
Danks says the most important thing for a hiker to carry is a fully charged cellphone. They should also make sure they are staying hydrated and sheltered from the sun.
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