A lost hiker and his dog have been safely rescued after being stranded 36 hours on a high mountain ridge above Buntzen Lake.
Search and rescue crews used a helicopter long line to reach the 43-year-old man and his dog and bring them to safety from a steep and challenging trail on Tuesday.
“He was hiking a trail called the Dilly Dally trail, which is a pretty ambitious trail at the best of times, but certainly not something that an inexperienced hiker should try on their own,” said Ian MacDonald with Coquitlam Search and Rescue.
Paramedics checked the hiker for dehydration after the helicopter landed, and found both the man and his dog in good condition.
Rescuers say the man had been hiking near the lake Monday when he lost his way in the afternoon and called 911 for help.
Michael Coyle of Coquitlam Search and Rescue told CTV News that crews dispatched a helicopter with five team members to help the hiker, who set out on his hike around 10:30 a.m. on Canada Day.
When they talked to the man on his dying cell phone, he told them he could hear the rescue helicopter.
Ten search and rescue crew members remained in the area looking for him until late Monday.
Coyle said Monday that he expected the hiker would remain safe overnight.
“It’s a warm night and he is uninjured, so we expect he will spend an uncomfortable night and we will be able to get him out by [Tuesday],” he said
The rescue helicopter and search and rescue troops resumed their hunt Tuesday, and spotted the hiker waving his shirt through the trees.
The hiker’s name hasn’t been released.
With files by CTV British Columbia's Jina You
