Coquitlam Search and Rescue teams helped a large group of backcountry campers get home safely on Friday.
A group of 17 people chartered a floatplane to get to a remote campsite on Widgeon Lake in Burke-Pinecone Provincial Park, but, because of bad weather conditions, the plane was not able to reach them when it was time to go home.
None of the campers were injured, though with dwindling supplies, they finally decided to call for help.
The group from Vancouver and Toronto had started their adventure on Tuesday, and were scheduled to be picked up at 3 p.m. on Thursday.
“They were cold and wet,” said Jim Delgrande of Coquitlam Search and Rescue. “They were unprepared for the conditions but otherwise they were OK.”
There has been criticism in the past that those needing rescuing due to being under-prepared or considered reckless should pay for the rescue costs.
However, the B.C. Search and Rescue Association says “that the perceived or actual belief that a lost or injured person or their loved ones will be charged for a search and rescue response could directly affect the decision as to if or when a call for professional help will be made. It is our position that any delay in the deployment of Search and Rescue (SAR) services can negatively impact the outcome of a SAR mission.”
Shestalo said “it got to the point where do we wait for this weather to pass or do we call for extra help? So we made the call.”
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