A hiker's preparedness for an overnight wilderness emergency aided in her rescue from the Zupjok Peak near Hope.
Hope Volunteer Search and Rescue (SAR) were on scene late Tuesday night, Aug. 26 after the hiker's sister contacted Hope RCMP and let them know that the hiker had gotten lost on the trail to the Zupjok, Llama, and Alpaca peaks.
According to Hope SAR, the hiker had been travelling alone and had called her sister once she realized that she'd walked off the trail and was now lost. Her sister then immediately contacted the police when she couldn't reach the hiker again.
The search and rescue team were able to locate the woman early Wednesday morning, Aug. 27 when she managed to locate the trail and make her way to the Zupjok summit. She was then escorted back to the beginning of the trail.
"First, and foremost, we acknowledge how well prepared the hiker was for an overnight emergency," Hope SAR said via social media. "She had a tent and was prepared to hunker down and wait for daylight to complete the hike.
"Second, her sister had been given a trip plan and knew exactly where to send searchers. A trip plan left with a trusted person is equally important as the 10 essentials."
The 10 essentials to bring, when hiking, are navigation, a headlamp, sun protection, first aid, a knife, a way to start a fire (such as matches), shelter, extra food, extra water, and extra clothes.
Hope SAR said they want to remind people to carry the 10 essentials when hiking and to be prepared with some sort of emergency plan when exploring the wilderness. They stress that this is especially important during extreme weather conditions such as very high or very low temperatures.
They also want to remind people that calling search and rescue is free, and to always try to call 911 first in an emergency situation.
"Always call 911 first," Hope SAR said. "Searchers can take many hours to reach a subject and the earlier this gets started, the better the outcome.
"In our experience, batteries are almost always nearly drained by the time calls are made and cell service can be spotty. However, many phones now have the ability to send a message to 911 even when there is no cell reception. Call early and stay put — unless you're location is putting you in danger — because we will be coming to the coordinates taken from the call."
This is the fourth major rescue assignment that Hope SAR has been called to in August. Previously they were called to aid in the recovery of the man who drowned in the Coquihalla River on Aug. 3, rescued two hikers from Yak Peak on Aug. 7, and rescued a person on the Fraser River on Aug. 22.
