A man who was missing for nine days in the Cariboo wilderness did the right thing by building himself a shelter and staying put, said Bob Zimmerman, Quesnel Search and Rescue president and manager.
The area where Andrew Barber, 39, was found on Friday, Aug. 8, was full of trails, swamps and little lakes, according to Zimmerman.
“Once he got to the lake, he stayed there. He built himself a shelter with moss and clothing. All he could do was drink the water, and I believe he may have chewed a bit of moss."
QSAR’s involvement began with very few details to accurately pinpoint where Barber was eventually found, about 50 kilometres north of Williams Lake on the west side of the Fraser River.
“The initial information we received did not have any coordinates - just a photograph with a pin on it, and a pretty fuzzy one at that,” Zimmerman said. “It put us in a very large area.”
Zimmerman noted that with not enough information, QSAR could not go in and conduct a ground search due to the 100 km of trails and networks.
Barber was reported missing to the Williams Lake RCMP on Thursday, July 31, and was last seen on July 28 in Riske Creek.
The first day QSAR got involved was on Tuesday, Aug. 5.
“We had PEP Air from Prince George flying over with a private citizen plane and an observer,” Zimmerman said. "They located a Dodge truck, but it wasn’t the right truck."
On Aug. 6, the weather was not adequate for flying, but on Aug. 7, QSAR went back in with Provincial Emergency Program Air (PEP Air) flying overhead, but again had no luck.
PEP Air is an associate member of Canada’s Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA). It works closely with 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron of the Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in Comox and with BC Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (EMCR).
Then on Friday, Aug. 8, one of the QSAR volunteers went as an observer in an RCMP helicopter.
Zimmerman said they searched in a different area and went southbound where Barber’s truck was, although at first they did not see it.
When they were flying northbound, the sun was at the right angle, and they caught a glint off the vehicle. While the truck was found, Barber was not; he had left his vehicle.
With it being quite a distance to drive from Quesnel, it was decided the RCMP would continue with the ground search.
“In the process of making a second trip in with the helicopter, they lucked out and flew overtop of the subject who had 'HELP' written with mud on a rock," Zimmerman said. “We are not so sure how he would have made out for another 24 hours out there without water and without food.”
Zimmerman said QSAR greatly appreciates having assistance from PEP Air.
“It’s not the first time we’ve used them, and it’s not the first time they’ve been successful for us. We also appreciate the support from the RCMP as well as our own volunteers. Our people spend 1,000s of hours training to be able to do things like this. It's worthwhile."
A retired RCMP officer, he moved to Quesnel in 1989 and spent 16 years in charge of traffic services before retiring.
"I love Quesnel," he added.
