Four hikers from Metro Vancouver got more than they expected from their adventure in Garibaldi Provincial Park on the weekend.
Two women on an overnight hiking trip with a male friend were stranded at the Elfin Lake shelter along with a fourth person on a solo adventure due to a 60 cm overnight snowfall.
“They just couldn’t find the trail, they weren’t familiar with the area,” said Squamish Search and Rescue (SAR) manager Murray Watt.
The man who hiked up on his own had snowshoes, Watt said. The winter trail hasn’t yet been marked, and fresh snow made it impossible for the four people to navigate the trail down from the Elfin Lakes shelter.
The group tried to get out on their own Sunday, but Watt said in addition to not knowing where they were going, they were travelling in snow that was waist-deep in some spots.
“They didn’t have navigational aids and they were in avalanche terrain,” Watt said.
The RCMP called SAR Sunday afternoon after the group alerted the police of their situation. It was too late to send searchers along the 11 km trail to help the group get back to their vehicles, Watt noted.
He determined that the group was comfortable in the shelter with water and a little food for the unexpected second night in the wilderness.
“We brought in an avalanche technician with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure from Pemberton to be the safety officer,” said Watt.
Scott Akin worked in conjunction with park ranger Katie Chambers, who also has avalanche training, and five other SAR volunteers to help the four people out of the snow zone.
