Two teenage girls are safe after being rescued by Arrowsmith Search and Rescue (ASAR) on a trail near Bowser on May 11.
The hikers had a cellphone which was only able to make emergency calls, so they called 911, according to Ken Neden, ASAR manager.
“I think it was just a matter of getting disoriented,” Neden said. “There’s a lot of different trails and they had gotten turned around and just couldn’t find their way out.”
After receiving a call from RCMP, ASAR was able to use a “ping” location from the 911 dispatcher to find the girls within approximately an hour, according to Neden. Search members who live near Bowser arrived in the area near McColl Forest Service Road and Crosley Road in about 15 minutes.
Neden said the hikers did the right thing by not waiting too long to call.
“Sometimes people wait until it gets dark and get a bit panicky, which makes thing a little harder,” he said. “They were wet and cold and a bit nervous and scared, but they were otherwise in good shape.”
READ MORE: PHOTOS: Arrowsmith SAR crews rescue injured hiker along rugged Nile Creek trail
ASAR members use a mapping program on their phones to keep track of their location and any markers placed on the map by the search and rescue management team.
Neden said he recommends hikers use the Adventure Smart website, which allows users to communicate where they plan to go and when they expect to come back.
