Rescuers from Squamish to Coquitlam are tracking a missing hiker last seen on the overgrown and challenging Boise Trail that spans 50 kilometres from the MacMillan Bloedel Forest Service Road to the Coquitlam area.
Squamish Search and Rescue (SAR) and Coquitlam Search and Rescue have teamed up with Vancouver RCMP air service yesterday to locate a 35-year-old male hiker last seen Tuesday (Aug. 10).
The man, who is from the Lower Mainland according to RCMP, should have returned on Sunday (Aug. 15), but was still missing this afternoon.
The hiker was last seen when his friend dropped him off 35 kilometres up the MacMillan Bloedel Forest Service Road.
"They hiked together for three hours, they got on what they believe to be the right trail, and the missing subject headed off on his own to complete the hike," said SAR manager John Willcox.
"His friend was supposed to get a phone call from this first person who does have a cell phone three days ago on the 15th saying 'Hey I'm out in Coquitlam come pick me up.'"
The call never came and yesterday, the friend contacted the RCMP to report his friend as missing.
RCMP Cpl. Dave Ritchie said the Boise Trail route is a relatively well-known hike and can be found in local hiking guidebooks. But it's still an isolated stretch of wilderness.
"It's nothing but mountain and bush between the trail's beginning and end," he said.
Willcox said the trail is overgrown and rarely used, making both the hike and the search more difficult.
At 4 p.m. yesterday, RCMP air pilot Duane Jennings landed off Centennial Way across from the Eagle Vista RV and Campground to pick up SAR rescue volunteers Tennessee Trent, Nancy Antosh and Garrett Chumacher, who were at the launch site within a half hour of being notified.
Backpacks and hardhats on, rope attached and maps in hand, the three SAR members made their plans.
"We'll scan the route," said Grant as he geared up for the helicopter search. "He was heading through the Boise Lakes and then to the Pitt, so we'll follow the route and see what we can see."
"They'll look for anything - any sign of him or life or anything at all," said Ritchie. "They have photographs so they can talk to other people in the area, if there are any, and see if they've seen anything."
By 8 p.m., the crew returned, having found tracks leading to the area where the friends had lunch before splitting up.
"They know what trail they dropped down to before they parted ways down there, so we're still in the process of accessing that area," said Willcox.
When they set out again early this morning, low cloud cover prevented extensive helicopter searching.
"All the trail that's up and above that [the trailhead] and in the some of these valleys, certainly from the Squamish end, is very limited now," said Willcox.
"So we're putting people on the ground following their tracks in hoping to be able to track him."
Most of the Coquitlam members are helping from the Squamish side but they might redeploy some to the Pitt River area near the trail's exit point, said Willcox.
"Our intentions were to muster up in Squamish and then pop people through the entire length."
