A Nanaimo couple that had been missing since Remembrance Day has been located and is safe, RCMP confirm.
Cody Martin, 32, and Tamara Sandulak, 29, had told family and friends they were going fishing at the Nanaimo Lakes on Wednesday.
The duo was reported missing the next day when they failed to return.
Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson Const. Gary O’Brien said the couple was located shortly after 8 a.m., Saturday at remote Moriarty Lake, about 16 km beyond where they were expected to be.
The couple’s truck had broken down, and they had stayed with the vehicle the whole time, he said.
Martin told Global News the couple realized they were stuck around 3 p.m. Wednesday, and decided it was too far to try and walk out that evening.
Then the weather intervened.
“We weren’t sure how long it was going to take us to walk out so we thought, well, we’re safe in the truck, so we better stay in the truck and walk out in the morning,” he said.
“And then in the morning, it was a complete whiteout. Even that night the snow started, and it was just a complete whiteout, and we thought, no way.”
The couple estimates about two feet of snow fell, trapping them at the vehicle.
They taped garbage bags over the truck’s windows to stop moisture from getting in, and hunkered down with their dog Rex, rationing the snacks they had with them.
“It was a bit scary at that point,” Martin said.
The couple were still able to use the radio in the truck, which provided one bright spot to the misadventure.
“At Thursday at 4 p.m. we turned into the news and heard that we were missing, so that was a huge relief,” he said.
But by Saturday, they hadn’t been located. When they woke up to sunny weather they taped garbage bags around their feet and decided to attempt the hike out.
Not long after they got moving, they got cellphone reception.
“All of a sudden I got the news notification, and then texts started coming through, and I was like ‘No way!'” Martin said.
He quickly phoned his mother and made contact with search crews.
Not long afterwards, rescuers picked them up with a helicopter and ferried them to safety.
“I wanted to cry. I think we were just so stressed, anxious,” Sandulak said of her safe arrival at the search and rescue camp.
“It was amazing to see everyone. Can’t thank everyone enough for what they’ve done.”
The pair and Rex were cold and hungry, but otherwise unhurt.
O’Brien praised the couple for doing all the right things to stay safe while the search was underway.
“Wisely, they stayed with the truck,” he said. “That’s the key.”
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