Local Scouts clubs helps stranded hikers, assists search and rescue

When Vaishnavi V Pillai, age 10, joined her local Pitt Meadows Scout Group for a fall camping trip in Golden Ears Park last weekend, she didn’t know they’d be assisting Ridge Meadows Search and Rescue with a group of stranded hikers.

But on Saturday, Nov. 22 — when she and the rest of the group were out on a hike — three hikers signaled to them from across a creek.

Earlier that day, these same hikers had crossed the creek in an attempt to hike to the summit of Golden Ears. But the water levels had risen with the heavy rains and they couldn’t cross back.

“I was thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, they need help,’” said Vaishnavi.

The leaders of the scouts pooled their resources: snacks, chemical warmers, and emergency blankets. They put it in a pack, tied it to a rock, and threw it across the river for the hikers. While the stranded trio had already sent an SOS from their iPhones, the Scouts sent another. (The kids, ages eight to 10, stayed back).

“They were cold and they were wet and they were hungry, and they didn’t know if they were getting rescued,” said Michael Dunn, the group commissioner for 1st Pitt Meadows Scouts.

What happened?

The hikers were a group of three males who were unfamiliar with the area and unprepared for the weather conditions, according to Brent Boulet, the president of Ridge Meadows Search and Rescue.

“They only had some snacks and chips and candy and some energy drinks, and they weren’t very well prepared for the weather either. They only were wearing kind of casual street wear and casual shoes, cotton clothing,” he explained.

The trio had set out early Saturday and crossed Evidence Creek around 8 a.m. While the bridge that once crossed the creek got washed out during last fall’s atmospheric river, they were still able to make their way across the water.

The group continued for another two hours until the weather worsened and they decided to turn around. But by the time they got back to the creek, it was impassable. 

“We had some heavy rains that day, the water level had risen, and they could not cross it,” said Boulet.

They looked around to see if they could try and figure things out for about an hour before sending an SOS for help from their iPhone.

This is around the time Scouts came in and tossed them the supplies. The club went back to the parking lot, where they shared the location of the hikers with the Search and Rescue team.

“That made things a lot easier for us, because then we were able to . . . get to them a little quicker. And we also knew what to expect,” said Boulet.

There was another trail that led to another bridge crossing (that the hikers were unaware of) that the Search and Rescue team took to get over the creek and locate the hikers. They hiked them back to cross the bridge, where they then got a ride down to the parking lot on a side by side ATV.

Preparedness 

Meanwhile, the Scouts had gone back to their camp, where they cooked their dinner (carrots, potatoes and meat cooked in tinfoil on the fire, according to Vaishnavi). They offered to share their food with the Search and Rescue team, but there wasn’t much else they could do to help.

“The search and rescue people came by and told us they were rescued. And I just felt a rush of relief,” Vaishnavi said.

The Search and Rescue medical team deemed it safe for the hikers to return home on their own.

They had been waiting for help for about four hours.

Boulet said Search and Rescue tends to receive a lot of calls this time of year because people are surprised by both the weather and how quickly it gets dark.

“People need to first really research the hiking routes that they’re attempting, understand the location, understand what the physical requirements of the hike. And also be prepared for the weather,” said Boulet.

He pointed out that hikers did some things right: they realized that they needed to turn around, didn’t attempt to cross the creek when it had higher waters, and stayed put after calling for help.

This sort of preparedness is exactly what the scouts are out to learn — and there’s some lessons the kids could take away.

“We should always be prepared,” said Vaishnaivi.

Boulet recommends checking out adventuresmart.ca to learn more about how to prepare for outdoor adventures.

“The scouts on this did a really great job,” he added. “I think the scouts did everything right. They didn’t put themselves in harm’s way to try and help these people. They did what they can with the supplies that they had. And relayed that important information to us.”