After a particularly busy weekend, it’s starting to feel like the old days for North Shore Rescue – and not in a good way.
The team was dispatched on foot and by helicopter across the North Shore Mountains five times, mostly to assist hikers whose plan for adventure exceded their ability, said Mike Danks, team leader.
“This has been our busiest weekend, for sure,” said Danks.
The first call for help came in around 11 a.m. Saturday from a woman who twisted her ankle on her way down from St. Marks Summit on the Howe Sound Crest Trail. The team quickly determined the safest way to get her out was via helicopter long-line.
Late Saturday night, the pager went off again, this time for a man who had injured his ankle near Runner Peak on Mount Seymour. The man and his hiking partner were equipped to spend the night, so Danks told them to stay put and wait for the helicopter at first light.
The Talon Helicopter had only just touched down at the end of the successful rescue when the team was called out once more, this time to assist Lions Bay Search and Rescue in retrieving two men who had become stranded on a spire while attempting to reach the top of the west Lion.
On Sunday, a hiker on Crown Mountain reported feeling dizzy. In interviewing the subject, Danks said they had worked a night shift and gone hiking on an empty stomach. Thankfully, the subject was not far away from a brand new helipad the team had just installed last year, making it a straight-forward rescue.
The last rescue, Sunday afternoon, was the only one not requiring a helicopter. Two hikers had strayed from the Dreamweaver trail on Mount Fromme and called for help. Danks said a team member was nearby and was able to quickly escort them back to the trail.
Danks said a common theme in rescues has been people overestimating their abilities following a sedentary spring and summer, and going out ill-equipped and ill-prepared.
“I think people believe they're still in the shape they were before COVID and now they're getting out and they're doing these hikes that are kind of a bit too much for them at this point in their fitness level,” he said.
After having almost no calls for months, the number of people in need of a rescue has shot up, especially as the province has opened up under COVID-19 protocols, Danks said.
With 75 calls so far in 2020, North Shore Rescue is now on track for an average year for rescue activity.
“If the good weather continues, I anticipate those calls are going to keep happening,” Danks said.
Over the weekend, the crew from Talon Helicopter ended up feeling “like family,” he added.
North Shore Rescue recommends carrying these 10 essentials when venturing into the backcountry: light, signalling device, fire starter, warm clothes, pocketknife, shelter, water and food, first-aid kit, navigation, and communications.
