'Barefoot, soaking wet': Hiker rescued after spending 2 nights in North Vancouver's Lynn Creek area

Search crews used a helicopter long line to rescue a hiker in Lynn Creek area on June 27, 2024. (North Shore Rescue/Instagram)

North Shore Rescue says a man who got stuck in a hard-to-reach area after wanting to spend some quiet time in nature was lucky to be found after he made a call on a cellphone with a nearly dead battery.

Allan McMordie, search manager with North Shore Rescue, said the rescue team was contacted by the RCMP early Thursday morning after a 911 call was made.

A hiker, who'd spent two cold, wet nights in the Lynn Creek area, was unable to get himself out after losing his footwear.

The crews had a challenging time figuring out where the hiker was, McMordie said, as he'd made the call with just one per cent battery left on his phone. After calling 911, the hiker's phone died.

"What it meant though for us is that we had no ability to get his latitude and longitude so we did not have his location, we had no idea, we just had what was on the initial call," McMordie told CTV News Vancouver. "He could've been anywhere in a 20-kilometre long creek."

As it turned out, the hiker had taken a bus to Capilano University and started walking through the Inter River Park area on Tuesday. All he had packed with him was a "small, flimsy sleeping bag" and a bit of food, McMordie said.

He stayed in the area Tuesday and Wednesday, but he woke up soaking wet after a rainy Wednesday night.

"When he crossed the creek sometime on Wednesday he'd lost his footwear. So he was barefoot, soaking wet and had no way of getting out of the creek area," McMordie explained.

While the hiker didn't have any serious injuries, McMordie said his muscles were cramped and he had several cuts from the underbrush.

"He was not in any kind of condition to make any progress out of where he was," McMordie said.

'Made all the difference'

With rainy, overcast weather, McMordie said using a helicopter to search for the hiker was difficult. Instead, the team was able to use a drone.

With thermal technology on the drone, the team located the hiker, who is in his mid-40s and familiar with the Vancouver area. He was then lifted out using Talon's winch helicopter, with the team's longest hoist to date at approximately 85 metres.

"The drone made all the difference," McMordie said. "It found the guy for us."

In light of this fortunate rescue, McMordie is urging hikers to be prepared when heading out on trails or in the backcountry. Hikers are advised to take essentials with them, wear proper gear for the weather, tell someone where they're going and preserve cellphone battery.

"There's no way we would've known he was there, if he was not able to make that call. So nobody knew where he was or what his intentions were and he let his phone run out practically empty of battery before making a call," McMordie said.

"This gentleman was lucky that we were able to get him out … because if we had not found him, it would've been disastrous for him."