It had all the makings of a dramatic rescue - cries echoing through the forest, concerned hikers calling 911, and a full search team scrambling to respond.
But in the end, the only thing in distress Thursday night near Kelowna’s Boulderfields was the music.
Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR) was called out after two hikers reported hearing someone repeatedly yelling for help near the popular climbing spot off the Kettle Valley Railway.
"Since Thursday is our regular training night we responded with a full contingent of members, two RCMP officers, and our drone team,” COSAR Search Manager Duane Tresnich said in a Facebook post.
Responders also heard the sounds coming from the woods.
“We weren’t sure what we were hearing,” Tresnich added. “Was it “help”? Or worse, Nickelback?"
As half the team prepared to sweep the trails on foot, others covered nearby forest roads. That’s when they found the source of the commotion--a lone camper, happily serenading the wilderness and "blissfully unaware that the acoustics of the Boulderfields had turned his tent-side concert into an accidental distress."
“He wasn’t in trouble,” Tresnich said. “Unless you count his singing.”
COSAR sang the praised of the hikers who called in for doing the right thing, and reminded the public that their services are always free.
"And the money you save could be spent on singing lessons."
