B.C. teen walks out of Golden Ears Provincial Park after being missing for more than 50 hours

Mounties and search and rescue workers are relieved and "elated" that 16-year-old missing hiker Esther Wang walked out of Golden Ears Provincial Park on her own Thursday night, roughly 54 hours after becoming separated from her hiking group earlier this week.

A news conference on Wang's return Friday morning left many questions unanswered, however, with officials unable to explain how the teen got lost in the first place and what she did to survive more than two days in the bush.

"Today, the most important thing is just she safely returned to her family," said Supt. Wendy Mehat, officer in charge of the Ridge Meadows RCMP detachment, at the news conference.

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Mehat added that Mounties expected to speak to Wang later in the day Friday and answer some of the outstanding questions about the incident.

TEEN WENT MISSING TUESDAY

A search effort had been launched for Wang on Tuesday afternoon after she went missing during a hike Tuesday with a group of four as part of a “youth activity,” police say.

In a news conference Wednesday, Ridge Meadows RCMP said the group hiked the East Canyon Trail to Steve’s Lookout, and left the viewpoint at around 2:45 p.m. to return to their campground. About 15 minutes into the walk back to the campsite, the group’s leader realized Wang had become separated from the group.

Police say the hikers went back to the lookout to search for Wang, but couldn’t find her. Ridge Meadows Search and Rescue (SAR) were called in and searched through the night. Neighbouring SAR volunteers joined the effort, which included helicopter support, police dogs and a police drone.

At Friday's news conference, RMSAR search manager Ryan Smith said a total of 16 search and rescue teams were involved in the search, and additional teams from Vancouver Island had volunteered to come over on Friday to assist if Wang had remained missing.

That turned out to be unnecessary, as Wang walked out of the park on her own around 9:30 p.m. Thursday, according to Mehat.

The RCMP superintendent said Wang exited the provincial park on the East Canyon Trail, the same trail she was on when she became separated from her group. Police believe the first people she saw when she got out of the forest were her parents.

Aside from some mosquito bites, Wang was unharmed after her ordeal. After an assessment by paramedics at the scene, she returned home with her parents Thursday night, police said.

"Her family has expressed sincere gratitude to all the first responders and search and rescue groups," Mehat said. "They're very thankful for this outcome, and they've requested privacy at this time."

WHAT TO DO IF SEPARATED WHILE HIKING

Smith said search and rescue efforts were inhibited by the difficult terrain of Golden Ears Provincial Park, and suggested that the thick tree canopy may have prevented drones and helicopters from spotting Wang sooner.

"It's very steep and it's very thick forestation, which did obviously hamper the search efforts," he said.

At the same time, he emphasized that people who find themselves lost in the backcountry should stay put if it's safe to do so.

"The messaging that we do have is, 'Stop where you are,'" Smith said. "In this case, she was with a group, and if she'd remained where she was, the group did return to that area. Obviously, Esther, we're still waiting – like the superintendent says – to find out exactly what happened."

Even without knowing all the details, Smith said Wang's survival and successful self-rescue is a testament to her "excellent" preparation, fitness and determination.

Police say Wang was well-prepared for the hike and had food and water with her. She also had a cell phone, but there was no reception in the remote area.

"Obviously, we're elated with the outcome of the search," said Smith.

WANG LEARNED SURVIVAL SKILLS THROUGH CADETS

Wang is an air cadet with her local Langley squadron, 746 Lightning Hawk.

Capt. Jacquelin Zweng, a spokesperson for the Regional Cadet Support Unit, told CTV News that Wang was with two other air cadets and an adult supervisor on the hike Tuesday.

“Everybody was very concerned and I think the greater cadet community is certainly breathing a sigh of relief when we found out that she was safe,” Zweng said.

As a cadet, Zweng said, Wang would’ve learned some survival skills. She added, however, that she could not speculate about whether that contributed to the positive outcome.

“The air cadet program covers the learning of forest survival skills,” she said, explaining Wang would’ve already completed four levels.

“Cadets participate in aircrew survival exercise and they learn a variety of skills, such as assembling an emergency kit, operating a stove and lantern, tying knots and lashing, and navigating.”

She explained this week’s hike was not part of a cadet-related activity but was one of the requirements for the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, for which Wang was trying to achieve the bronze level. The award encourages young people to accomplish tasks outside the formal education system.

On its website, the organization wrote it is delighted to hear Wang is now safe. 

“We thank all the members of search and rescue who worked diligently over the past few days to locate her whereabouts,” the website reads.

“At the time of the incident, Esther Wang was engaged in an outdoor activity while completing her bronze award through a local air cadet group.”