Search teams were forced to airlift a hiker off the North Shore mountains Monday morning after she spent a chilly night near Lynn Headwaters after becoming separated from her husband.

The pair set off for Coliseum Mountain Sunday afternoon but they split up around 1 p.m. because her partner was hiking faster than her.

They were texting each other but lost contact around 3 p.m. when she was lost in a creek bed and her phone died.

Ground crews were able to locate her, she but did spend a chilly night outside. She was very cold but unhurt. Crews actually spent the night about 100 metres away from her but it was so steep the only way to get her out was by helicopter.

The lost hiker, Sally Lee-Sayer, says she was scared being in the woods by herself.

"I wasn't sure when search and rescue would come. But once I heard their voices I felt a lot better," Lee-Sayer said.

Her husband, Clayton Sayer, told CTV Morning Live it was a terrifying experience to have his wife stuck in the woods. He and his wife are extremely grateful to searchers for their hard work and dedication.

“Most of their money comes by donations and I know as soon as I get home I'm definitely going to donate and get my company to put in a donation for them," Sayer told reporters.

After the scary experience, the couple says next time they go hiking they’ll do things differently.

“Definitely stay together. And bring a map as well,” Sayer said.

The rescue marks the fifth callout for North Shore Rescue in the past two days. More than a dozen people needed help -- and search crews are frustrated.

“It’s been a very busy year for us. [The] last couple months have been very taxing on our team,” said team lead Mike Danks. “We're here for our community but I think we're getting to the point where things are getting out of hand.”

Early Sunday morning, crews rescued a young couple off Grouse Mountain who went on a hike for their first date and got lost. Hours later five hikers had to be helped off Mount Strachan. A third call came from a hiker on Mount Seymour, who had no lights with him.

Danks says his teams are trying to get the message out that people need to be prepared and research their hike before they set out on local trails.

“We’re doing our best to educate the public but it really seems that’s not getting across at all,” he said.