'It's super rare': Hiker missing for 2 weeks in B.C. park found alive
A local hiker who was missing in B.C.'s Garibaldi Provincial Park for two weeks has been found alive.
Daniel Ring was dropped off at the Elfin Lakes trailhead in the park on July 7 and was planning to camp at Rampart Ponds.
Police said Ring failed to return to his pick-up site two days later, on July 9, prompting a search and rescue effort.
Search and rescue crews had been combing through the area ever since to no avail.
Then Thursday afternoon, B.C. Wildfire Service crews responding to reports of smoke near Pitt River made an unusual discovery.
“They saw a man in the area waving them down and so they landed and picked him up. They discovered that he had been missing and gave him a lift to Squamish and turned him over to the ambulance service and the Squamish RCMP,” said Dorthe Jakobsen, a fire information officer, of the Coastal Fire Centre.
The B.C. Wildfire Service won't say who started the blaze, but confirm it was human caused and it remains under investigation.
Search and Rescue crews say they don't typically cover the area he was found.
“It's mountainous forests,” said Landon James, of Squamish Search and Rescue.
“They're quite steep terrain that's not easy to navigate in. And it was really hard for our search teams. And I'm assuming it was pretty hard for him to travel in for the last couple of weeks,” James told CTV News.
The 33-year-old had only planned to be in the park for a few days.
“He had a tarp, a sleeping bag, clothes and a pack. Obviously, 14 days is a little more than he was expecting. So you would have had to conserve those supplies or find fresh water, some food to eat if possible."
James says his team rarely responds to a search of this length and most rescues they respond to are near hiking trails or within cell phone range.
“It's super rare. I'll admit, I was elated, but surprised today when I heard that he was located fine. You know, it's one of those times that you know, we were starting to definitely get a bit discouraged as to whether we would find him and to hear this is definitely amazing,” said James.
BC Emergency Health Services said a paramedic crew was dispatched to the Squamish Airport to assess Ring.
They found he did not have any serious injuries and was not taken to hospital.
Officials said he’s been reunited with his family.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
BREAKING Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.