*** Speedy Search for Well-Prepared Hikers ***

From: Martin Colwell  sar_admin@mindlink.bc.ca
January 8th 1995

Deeks Lake Trail, Vancouver, British Columbia.

Four 23 to 25 year old experienced hikers, were reported missing after
failing to return home from a day hike below Deeks Lake, near Lions Bay, BC.
At 2045 hours last Sunday night the RCM Police requested that Lions Bay
Search & Rescue conduct a night search for the missing hikers. There was
a low cloud ceiling and it had been raining intermittently during the day.

Three hasty teams were quickly despatched to the primary trails in the
region while other members and search managers were brought in to provide
additional manpower and logistic support. Once these initial teams were
despatched a local radio relay was activated and a mobile base vehicle
despatched to improve coverage in a region where steep hillsides and
narrow valleys often hinder radio communications.

While family members gathered at Lions Bay to await word from the search
base, adjacent SAR teams were advised of the incident and prepared to go
into standby mode. Meanwhile the field teams were instructed to perform
a Sound Sweep as they searched the trails, a standard practise on most
searches in this region.

At 1130 hrs hasty team LB29 reported hearing a whistle blast in response
to their Sound Sweep. It was quickly confirmed that this response was not
from the other hasty teams. LB29 proceeded to investigate two trail options
in the region of the whistle blast and soon established voice contact with
a female. It was determined that the subjects were not on the trail system
and a compass bearing was taken on the general direction of the voice
contact.

Using a compass, GPS and altimeter the hasty team left the trail and
navigated through dense wet woods towards the subjects. Within 30 minutes
the four subjects, two males and two females, were found sheltering under a
space blanket. One female had lost her gortex jacket on the trail but the
other three were all wearing good quality raingear. The subjects were in
good shape, thanks to their clothing and emergency shelter, and had used
the one whistle in the party to respond to the search teams. The subjects
were given headlamps and were escorted back towards the closest trail.

The hiking party had apparently lost the trail in a confusing network of
old logging roads, cat-tracks and muddy washouts. They wandered around
until nightfall and then continued, using a flashlight, which soon lost
battery power. Finding themselves peering over what appeared to be a cliff
in the near-dark they decided to retreat from the edge and make a shelter
until dawn.

The hikers were returned to Lions Bay Base by 0030 hrs, to a large
gathering of friends and relatives.

Much of the effectiveness of the search can be credited to the planning
and precautions taken by the hiking party. These experience hikers:

- Left word of their intended route and starting point.
- Took a guide book with a map.
- Took a flashlight, space blanket and whistle.
- Wore good outdoor clothing.
- Stayed together as a group.
- Stopped travelling when it became obvious they were lost.
- Made a protective shelter.
- Responded to the calls of the searchers.

The sensible measures taken by the hikers, coupled with an immediate
response and effective searching by the field SAR teams, resulted in a
fast and succesful search, with both hikers and searchers soon returning
to Base, safe and unharmed. 

Martin Colwell.
Lions Bay Search & Rescue.

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