Rescued seniors donate $2,000 to Coquitlam SAR

The call came in to Coquitlam Search and Rescue at approximately 9:15 p.m. on Sunday evening.

A group of 19 hikers with an average of 70 had taken a jaunt to Pinecone Burke Provincial Park. They’d planned to be back that afternoon but as the sun set, “the trail became unfamiliar and mysterious,” one of the seniors later explained.

The group was also grappling with spotty cellphone reception and a frozen navigation app.

Search crews broke from Thanksgiving dinners and headed into the backcountry. Coquitlam RCMP found one group of seniors on the Woodland Walk while the search volunteers veered east and found the other group of seniors on a mountain bike trail.

The headlights of the e-bikes looked like: “a light of hope in the darkness,” according to the rescued senior.

The 19 hikers were all returned safely just after midnight, according to a post from Coquitlam Search and Rescue.

Two days later, the seniors showed up at the Town Centre Fire Hall. They’d taken up a collection and donated $2,000 to Coquitlam SAR while expressing their gratitude to everyone who helped them that night.

Donations typically help pay for gear or training, explained Coquitlam SAR president Nick Zupan in a message to the Dispatch.

“We have lots we can do with the money,” he wrote. “For now it’ll go into our donation account and we’ll look at what our immediate needs are.”

Being stranded after dark was frightening but knowing the team was on their way brought “tremendous comfort,” one senior stated in a letter to Coquitlam SAR.

“You gave up precious time with your own families over Thanksgiving to help us. We understand that this meant leaving celebrations, changing plans and working late into the night. We are sincerely sorry for the disruption we caused and for taking you away from your loved ones,” the letter stated.

Admitting to being “inadequately prepared,” the senior also emphasized the need to plan and time a route and to bring essential equipment on the next hike.

“This Thanksgiving will stay with us for the rest of our lives. Thank you for coming to our aid, for caring for us and for making it possible for us to return to the people we love.”

Coquitlam SAR posted the letters and noted that no one should feel ashamed to call SAR.

“People make mistakes, plans change, weather shifts, injuries happen, and technology fails. SAR exists because well intentioned adventures can go sideways. If you need help, call early. We would much rather respond to a call that turns out to be minor than arrive after a situation becomes dangerous,” the post stated.