LBSAR Responds to Two Simultaneous Rescues on the Howe Sound Crest and Harvey Trails

A husband and wife attempting to complete the Howe Sound Crest Trail in a single day were rescued by Lions Bay Search and Rescue after becoming exhausted near James Peak.

The pair had parked their vehicle at Porteau Cove and arranged a shuttle to Cypress Mountain, where they began their hike at approximately 9:00 a.m. By the time they reached James Peak, they were exhausted and unable to continue.

Lions Bay Search and Rescue partnered with Talon Helicopters to conduct the team’s first operational night hover rescue. Three LBSAR members were inserted near the hikers, and both subjects and the rescue team were subsequently extracted by hover.

North Shore Rescue was placed on standby in case the operation required a CDFL response.

While the James Peak rescue was underway, LBSAR received a second call for a hiker on the Harvey Trail who had become disoriented and gone off route. A second team responded in the LBSAR truck, driving up the access road to locate and retrieve the subject.

The hikers on the Howe Sound Crest Trail were poorly equipped for the demands of the trip. The Howe Sound Crest Trail is a long, strenuous, and committing backcountry route that requires careful planning, appropriate equipment, sufficient food and water, and a realistic understanding of the time and fitness required to complete it.

LBSAR reminds anyone attempting the full trail to prepare for the possibility of delays and to carry enough equipment to remain out after dark or spend an unexpected night in the backcountry.