Volunteers from North Shore Rescue braved the cold Thursday night to save two lost hikers and their dogs – breaking the group's record for annual call-outs.

Search manager Scott Merriman said members were deployed around 7 p.m. after a man and woman took a wrong turn during a hike on Grouse Mountain.

"On the way down they followed some tracks and ended up in the Mosquito Creek drainage," Merriman said.

About 10 members of North Shore Rescue were sent out to get the pair, identified as Jeremy Pitt and Amanda Merrifield, and their dogs off the mountain safely.

The area has some steep sections that made for a challenging rescue effort, but rescuers managed to get the hikers down to the Mount Fromme parking lot at around 2 a.m. The hikers were cold and tired, but uninjured.

"We just got in a bad situation and we're just really thankful for the North Shore (Rescue)," Merrifield said, admitting the pair weren't well prepared to be outside for that long.

"Without them, we'd probably be dead," Pitt added.

The hikers said they believe they might have encountered a cougar at one point, which sent them into a panick.

"We heard a really deep grumble, sort of like an idling sports car. And from what we understand and from what the volunteers have told us, it was probably a cougar," Pitt said. "That sort of sent us into shock mode – fight or flight."

Earlier this month, North Shore Rescue confirmed it had already tied its annual record for number of call-outs in a year at 139.

"Now we've got 141 calls which is a new record for us," said NSR's Doug Pope. "Almost three calls a week—which is a lot for a volunteer organization."

NSR has three theories as to why rescues are on the rise.

First, more and more novice hikers are frequenting the area, often showing up unprepared. The rescue group said the growing population of Metro Vancouver is also a likely factor. And finally, a boost in recreational tourism is drawing more and more visitors to the North Shore mountains.

"AdventureSmart.ca is a really good resource for how to prepare to come out into the mountains," Pope said.

With files from CTV Vancouver's Jason Pires