Search crews are warning the public about icy conditions on the North Shore after a pair of unprepared hikers had to be rescued over the weekend.
A man and woman from Ireland headed out on Mount Seymour's Dog Mountain Trail Sunday, only to end up lost in the dark without flashlights, supplies or warm clothing.
North Shore Rescue crews were called around 5 p.m. Sunday, and were fortunately able to locate the hikers using the GPS signals on their phones.
"We were able to get the latitude and longitude," search manager Allan McMordie said. "It wasn't very good accuracy, so we weren't quite sure where they were, but we knew coming off of Dog Mountain, they'd probably get down into the Boulder Creek area."
Though the weather has been sunny, North Shore Rescue noted the sun is setting around 4:30 p.m., and conditions are getting icy on the trails.
The rescued hikers, Lee Kirwan and Leah Corbally, were only wearing runners and light jackets.
"We expected just a hike up and back down," Kirwan said after they were escorted down the mountain. "On the way back down we took a wrong turn and went about half an hour in the wrong direction."
The pair said they were very grateful they didn't have to spend the night outside, and thanked crews for their fast response.
"We were only waiting about an hour for them. They had food, water, clothes, torches for us. Got everything," said Corbally. "They're brilliant."
For hiking safety tips and a list of the 10 basic essentials to bring with you on the trails, visit the North Shore Rescue website.
