A disoriented hiker near Summerland did exactly what a search and rescue manager told her to do: just keep blowing her whistle.
The 54-year-old hiker was in the Cartwright Mountain area on Friday evening when she realized she was lost.
She managed to contact the Summerland RCMP by phone, who dispatched Penticton Search and Rescue (PENSAR) at 5:35 p.m.
Ron Muir, the manager of the PENSAR team, was able to stay in contact with the woman by phone.
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As daylight began to fade, he told her to keep blowing her whistle every few minutes and that help was on the way.
He also told her to stay undercover, as the weather was cool and rainy.
Around 7 p.m., the helicopter team was deployed, and guided to a higher elevation on the mountain.
The team spotted the lost woman from the air. Once on the ground, they were able to locate her by listening for her whistle.
The woman was taken by helicopter back down the mountain and released to health authorities for assessment.
“Things went so right here,” said search manager Ron Muir in a press release. “The hiker knew when to call for help early, she stayed in one location, had a whistle which proved useful for searchers locating her, and we had enough light to utilize our air operations. For us, a happy ending.”
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