Three hikers were forced to spend the night on a B.C. mountain on Sunday (Sept 1) after they ran out of time and daylight to complete the long and challenging trail.
North Shore Rescue says the trio set out on Coliseum Mountain, a peak in Lynn Headwaters Regional Park, at 1 p.m. and reached the summit just before sunset. The trail is about 23 kilometres long according to online guides and is estimated to take between 8.5 and 10 hours to complete.
With the sun almost down, no flashlights or headlamps on hand and only one cell phone left with any charge, the hikers decided to call 911. North Shore Rescue says they determined the trio was in a safe enough location to spend the night and instructed them to hunker down and contact rescuers when the sun came back up.
The hikers did so the next morning, but struggled to find the trail down and lost contact with rescuers when their last cell phone died.
North Shore Rescue says they quickly devised a plan to send in a helicopter team to the summit to scan for the hikers from above, while a ground team would start in from the base of the trail. Luckily, the hikers found the trail on their own during that time and were well on their way out when they ran into the ground team.
North Shore Rescue says the incident is a lesson in the need to be prepared.
The group says the hikers started far too late in the day to complete the hike, especially at a time of year when the sun is setting by 8 p.m. They also relied entirely on their phones for navigation and light sources, which quickly drained their batteries and left them without a way out. North Shore Rescue says cell phone batteries die especially quickly in the outdoors because they are putting so much energy into trying to find a signal.
If people must bring their phones, they should set them to airplane mode and bring an external battery, the rescue group says.
North Shore Rescue says the trio was also very lightly equipped, making their unexpected overnight stay cold and unpleasant. Rescuers always recommend hikers to pack extra layers, headlamps and a communication device.
"Having those items with you may be the difference between life and death," North Shore Rescue said in a social media post.
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