Rescued hiker reunited with missing dog thanks to Vancouver Island volunteer
An injured hiker who was airlifted by search and rescue teams near Port Alberni, B.C., over the weekend has been reunited with his dog, after a dedicated rescuer went back to find her.
On Saturday night, the hiker was hurt after falling about 10 feet on Mount Arrowsmith, the Alberni Valley Rescue Squad recounted in a social media post.
The search and rescue team sent two medical crews to find the man, and he was located off-trail between the Climbers and Judges routes. Thankfully, he had cell reception and could “ping” his location, AVRS noted.
North Shore Rescue was also called for assistance, and it sent a Talon helicopter and night hoist team from the Lower Mainland. NSR airlifted the hiker to Nanaimo, where he received medical care.
An injured hiker is pictured on Mount Arrowsmith before being airlifted to Nanaimo for treatment. (Image credit: Alberni Valley Rescue Squad/Facebook)However, the hiker’s companion, a dog named Izzy, was still missing on the mountain. AVRS said the dog ran away before rescuers arrived, and despite their efforts she “was nowhere to be found, especially after the helicopter had come in.”
“Some members had treats and, despite calling for the dog, the team made the difficult decision to leave Izzy,” AVRS wrote.
Enter Rory Ford. The volunteer returned to the mountain the next morning on his own to look for the dog.
“Rory had a visual sighting on the dog a significant distance from where her owner was injured,” VFRS wrote in a Sunday update. “He managed to coax the dog out and bring the dog back to his truck.”
Ford explained in another post that he followed the hiker’s tracks until he heard Izzy barking, followed that sound and then spent an hour coaxing her along before carrying her down the mountain.
“It was old school, bark-only contact, no GPS ping!” Ford’s quoted saying.
A man who identified himself as the hiker left comments on AVRS’s post expressing his gratitude.
“Thank you so much for rescuing not only me but my dog from the mountain,” wrote Carl Barnes. “Much appreciated and will never be forgotten.”
AVRS gave its own shout-out to Ford in a “meet our members” post on Monday. It says the veteran volunteer has been with the team for over 25 years, is the squad’s longest-serving member and has been on more rescue missions than anyone else.
“Rory is a selfless, helpful, dedicated, caring person. His act of service yesterday, skillfully locating and rescuing the dog Izzy, exemplifies who he is. Rory is the guy who will just show up to a call and jump right in to help,” AVRS wrote.
The search and rescue team noted that the hiker had food, emergency supplies and appropriate clothing with him, but he was unfamiliar with the Mount Arrowsmith trails. “Additionally, the subject was feeling pressured to hurry due to the dwindling daylight hours.”
AVRS reminded nature-goers that area mountains are still cold and slippery, even with the lack of snowpack, and urged anyone hiking in the backcountry to have a detailed trip plan, stick to trails within their skill level and bring the right essentials.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Board orders deportation for trucker in horrific Humboldt Broncos crash
The truck driver who caused the horrific bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team has been ordered to be deported.
Italian teenage computer wizard set to become the first saint of the millennial generation
Pope Francis paved the way for the canonization of the first saint of the millennial generation on Thursday, attributing a second miracle to a 15-year-old Italian computer whiz who died of leukemia in 2006.
Milk sold in Canadian grocery stores tested for avian influenza; results released
As avian flu spreads south of the border, Canadian officials are now testing samples of milk sold in grocery stores across the country.
Morgan Spurlock, Oscar-nominated director of 'Super Size Me,' dies at 53
Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, an Oscar-nominee who made food and American diets his life's work, famously eating only at McDonald's for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet, has died. He was 53.
'A really bad car crash': Why health experts are raising concerns over surging syphilis cases
A sexually transmitted infection (STI) that was once thought to be a thing of the past is now a public health priority for North American doctors.
Top Russian military officials are being arrested. Why is it happening?
It began last month with the arrest of a Russian deputy defense minister. Then the head of the ministry’s personnel directorate was hauled into court. This week, two more senior military officials were detained. All face charges of corruption, which they have denied.
Leaving time on the table: Surveys show unused paid vacation, 'quiet vacationing'
'Quiet vacationing' is the latest new term to describe the rough edges of office culture, and survey data shows it's widespread among North American workers.
Toddler dies after being struck by recycling truck in Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood
A toddler has died after being struck by a recycling truck in a Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood on Thursday afternoon.
Helicopters, impersonations and squeezing through the fence: a brief history of Quebec prison escapes
Friday's warrant for prison inmate Yacine Zouaoui, 32, is the latest in hundreds of reported prison breaks in Quebec. Sometimes, they just walked away; sometimes they went through a fence, and twice they used a helicopter.