5 hikers 'really lucky' to be safe after nighttime rescue on North Shore

Five hikers who got lost in North Vancouver Monday night are now safe, after they had to be rescued from Lynn Peak.

A North Shore rescue manager says the says the men, who are all in their 20s, were not properly prepared and did not leave sufficient time to complete the hike in the daylight

“These guys are really lucky. They could have been there overnight easily. A couple of them might have had a real tough time making it down tonight,” said Barnett.

“They were lost and disoriented. They also didn't have adequate lights. And so, you know, darkness catches a lot of people by surprise in the mountains and it's still wintertime,” said Barnett.

Fortunately, they had enough cell reception to call for help around 7:30 p.m.

NSR sent in two crews by foot and, several hours later, they were able to locate the group.

The conditions on the mountain were extreme—with high winds, wet snow, and poor visibility.

“These folks were very cool. We had reports that one of them wasn't all that coherent. So that's a pretty big warning sign to us, potentially advancing into, you know, beyond moderate hypothermia,” explained Barnett.

No one was hurt, but a Talon helicopter was deployed to hoist out two men who were in the worst condition.

Due to heavy cloud cover, Barnett says it took two attempts to reach them.

“B.C. ambulance came here, they did a quick assessment, spoke to the guys, and they didn't need any further ambulance service,” said Barnett.

He says that because of the conditions, the remaining three hikers were warmed up, provided with better gear, and escorted out.

Barnett says the group was thankful for the help and committed to being more prepared in the future.

“Anyone traveling into the mountains, even if you don't think you're going to be overnight, you need to carry a lot of heavy clothing,” said Barnett.

He says NSR has seen a steady number of calls in the past few weeks.

“More snowpack, and then nicer weather, and the skiers and snowboarders may end up venturing out of bounds in the backcountry more. So we’ll often get a little bit busier when the snowpack is a little bit higher,” he explained.