A 12-year old boy who had to be rescued near Quarry Rock is in hospital and is expected to be OK.

The boy was hiking the trail with a church group when he went off-trail and slipped and fell Saturday morning. He hit his head and needed to be rescued.

“He lost control of his feet going down a sandy spot and then basically hit the stairs, skipped the stairs and hit the ground,” Jessica Hill, on of the group’s leaders, told CTV News.

She was glad the group had brought their own first-aid kit.

“He was definitely bleeding down his face and stuff. So we immediately put pressure.”

District of North Vancouver firefighters carried him out along the trail on a stretcher before loading him into an ambulance around 12:45 p.m.

Capt. Walt Warner with the fire service said that even though conditions are dry this time of year, hikers should still take precautions.

“We ask that you hike on the selected trails, make sure you stay with a partner and let everyone know where you are,” he told CTV news. Carrying a cell phone to let others know if something happens is a good idea too, he added.

Quarry Rock is a rocky outcrop overlooking Deep Cove in North Vancouver. It can be accessed by a scenic trail that’s popular with hikers and families year round.

“This is the season right now… that it’s going to get busier and busier,” Capt. Warner said. “It’s a beautiful trail—a nice, easy walk for people. But it can be dangerous, too.”