Hiker rescued from steep terrain above B.C. highway

Lions Bay Search and Rescue (LBSAR) said members were called Friday night to a section of Highway 99 near Horseshoe Bay to help a hiker stranded about 100 metres above the road. He had parked on the highway shoulder and attempted to travel through Montizambert Creek, where there is no hiking trail, on his way to Bowen Lookout. He had a headlamp but improper footwear.

At about 7 p.m., just after sundown, he called for help after realizing he could not reach the lookout and turning back. LBSAR said he slipped and fell into “extremely challenging terrain” near Strip Creek, into water, and was getting cold. Although he was only about 100 metres from the road, reaching him would be “anything but straightforward,” the team said.

Fourteen rescuers responded and assessed possible extraction routes. A helicopter extraction would have been difficult because power lines ran both above and below the area. Despite the short distance to the highway, steep cliff walls stood between the hiker and the road. The team split in two: one group slowly traversed terrain on the north side of Montizambert Creek, while the other looked for a route directly up from the highway.

The second group found trees that could serve as anchors and eventually identified a viable route through the cliffs. Rescuers climbed until they reached the hiker. LBSAR said on social media that the team established a fixed rope so more rescuers could ascend with equipment and supplies, then built a rope rescue system and lowered the hiker down the cliff with a rescuer accompanying him.

The hiker received warm clothing and a medical assessment, then declined an ambulance. The extraction was completed at about 2:30 a.m., and the volunteers were home half an hour later.

**Lessons from the rescue**

Maria Masiar of LBSAR told CTV News that one striking aspect of the rescue was how close the hiker was to the highway, yet how technically challenging he was to reach. He could hear traffic and see the rescue team, she said, but the terrain between him and safety was impassable without technical rescue equipment. At one point, he asked for a fire truck with a ladder. Masiar said that was not a viable option because of the steep cliffs, difficult access and power lines running above and below his location.

Masiar urged people heading to Bowen Lookout to start at Cypress Mountain and follow established hiking trails. She recommended the same approach for any hiking destination. A route that looks straightforward on a map can lead into extremely steep, dangerous and impassable terrain, she said. In mountainous terrain, a short distance on a map may be separated by cliffs, waterfalls and other obstacles.

She also said hikers lost in the mountains should never assume that travelling downhill will bring them to safety. The hiker fell several times while trying to descend through the creek and escaped with minor injuries, Masiar said. Similar falls in the mountains have cost people their lives.