Stranded hiker rescued by Coquitlam Search and Rescue over weekend

A hiker was rescued by a Coquitlam Search and Rescue (SAR) team after becoming disoriented on Swan Falls Loop near Buntzen Lake over the weekend.

Approximately a dozen Coquitlam SAR members took part in the five-hour rescue operation after receiving a call from Emergency Management BC around 11:30 p.m., Aug. 17.

Leo Markle, lead search manager for the rescue team, described the hiker as “unprepared” for the approximately eight-hour hike.

“In the daylight and dry, just about any semi-fit person should have no problem with it,” Markle said. “But at night, in the dark, rain and coming downhill … it’s a completely different animal.”

The hiker had started at approximately noon that Saturday, but he was using Google Maps as a trail guide and became confused about the proper direction.

He used his iPhone’s emergency SOS function, which then rerouted the call to emergency responders.

Markle said he received the man’s coordinates from Apple, and phoned him to try and talk him down the trail, as he was near the halfway point.

“He just wasn’t having it, he would not go down the trail,” Markle said. Google Maps was telling him to go one way and the trail was going another.”

By the time the rescue team had reached the hiker at 2:30 a.m., the rain was pouring quite heavily and the steep parts had become quite slippery, Markle said.

He said the biggest mistake the hiker made was not following a reputable map, such as Gaia GPS. “Google Maps is not a hiking app.”

Furthermore, the man did not leave himself enough time, was not properly dressed or equipped to be hiking in the dark, and did not inform anyone where he was going, according to Markle.

“Leave yourself lots of time at the end of the day just in case something goes wrong,” Markle said. “If you twist an ankle it could take you twice as long to get out.”

Markle pointed towards Coquitlam SAR’s “Ten essentials”: items that could save a hikers life should the worst occur.

These include a flashlight and spare batteries, extra food and water, extra clothing, navigation aids, fire starter, a first aid kit and more.

Coquitlam SAR has performed 38 rescue operations so far in 2024.