Quesnel Search & Rescue assisted a stranded hiker on Father’s Day. (June 21)
Public Information Officer Bob Hollowenko says they were called to the Narcosli Creek area south of Quesnel at around 1-30 p.m.
He says they were in some very technical terrain at the bottom of a creek valley.
“It gets very technical in there meaning there are steep cliffs, lots of sheer faces, a lot of unstable land where various slides and sluffs have created some very difficult terrain.”
Hollowenko says an initial two person team went in to begin treatment for severe heat exhaustion.
“We were initially informed that the subject was showing signs of heat exhaustion, at least that was what the 9-1-1 call takers had established. Upon arrival the symptoms we were observing, the subject having, were concurrent with that assessment.”
Hollowenko says they were looking at three possible options to get the person out.
“The best situation, plan A so to speak, was to be able to find a location where we could put a helicopter skids down and load the subject into the helicopter directly. Alternatively, we did bring in the CDFL team from Prince George, Class D Fixed Line, which is search and rescue technicians that assist with essentially hanging under a helicopter for situations where we cannot put the helicopter down. The terrain inside this valley, the tree cover and just how tight it was, we couldn’t necessarily be guaranteed that we could get a helicopter in there, so class B felt like it was the best next option, so that was plan B.”
Hollowenko says plan C was to get the person out on the ground.
“We ended up having an additional six-person team go in to begin building out an ascent system so that we could do rope assisted ascents which involved a wield basket stretcher, multiple rope systems, multiple team members because it was going to be a mixture of a set of very technical carry operations where we carry somebody out on the basket stretcher, as well as multiple locations where would have had to have brought the subject up on the stretcher using rope assist. Luckily we didn’t end up having to go that route.”
He says in the end they were able to find a suitable location for the helicopter to land on a sandbar.
Hollowenko says they were able to get the subject into the helicopter, and then it was a quick flight to the awaiting ambulance where we were able to hand the subject off to BCEHS.
