West Shore RCMP are warning the public about the dangers of hiking alone at night after officers spent hours looking for a lost trekker spooked by a cougar.
RCMP spokesman Const. Alex Berube said the 22-year-old man was hiking by himself on Mount Finlayson on July 29 about midnight when he spotted a cougar.
Believing the animal was stalking him, the hiker stepped off the trail to escape into the bush and was soon lost.
But he had his trusty cellphone and contacted RCMP for help.
Two West Shore Mounties were dispatched to find the hiker. After three hours of searching in the dark, during which officers and hiker remained in constant contact via cellphone, the hiker was located.
Berube said the hiker’s water had run out and he was out of food. He also only had a small, inadequate flashlight for being out in the nighttime bush.
West Shore RCMP say hiking alone after dark will only increase the odds of wildlife encounters, injury or getting lost.
Hikers should travel in pairs, stick to daylight hours and be properly equipped and prepared, they say.
