*** Suzuki Samurai Stress SAR System ***

From:	Richard Laing [Richard_Laing@bc.sympatico.ca]
Sent:	Monday, November 30, 1998 11:10 PM
To:	Martin Colwell
Martin:

Here is another one for you:

Ridge Meadows SAR was contacted by the R.C.M.P. at 19:30 hrs on Sunday
November 29th to search for a father and son overdue on Blue Mountain. The
pair had been four wheel driving in their Suzuki Samurai and were expected
back home by 15:00 hrs. Interviews with the family members indicated that
their likely destination was an area of trails north of the power lines and
west of McNutt Road. Ground teams, 4x4's and ATV's scoured the mountain but
were unable to locate the vehicle.

At approximately 23:45 hrs, the R.C.M.P.member on scene received a call from dispatch regarding a second party of two in a Suzuki Samurai overdue on Blue Mountain. This second group was a father and daughter whose destination was possibly Stave Lake via Blue Mountain. From interviews of the reporting party, it was determined that their was no known association between the two missing parties.

We then started to move some of the teams towards the Stave Lake route and called on Mission SAR to send in a team from the Stave Lake side. Shortly after 01:00hrs, R.C.M.P. received a report of a third and fourth overdue Suzuki Samurai containing 3 adults and 2 dogs on Blue Mountain, with the
destination of Stave Lake. We now had 7 people, 2 dogs and 4 Suzuki Samurai
4x4's overdue on Blue Mountain!

At this time we felt that we could put the second and third party together but we were still unsure as to whether or not the first party was part of the larger group. A ground team located all of missing the subjects at 01:30 as they were making their way back to the start of the road.

The first missing party had tagged along with the second and third group. They had abandoned one vehicle and had been winching themselves through the mud all night long. When we got them back to the main road, it was discovered that one vehicle's insurance had expired at midnight and had to be towed back home! The task was concluded at 03:15.