Hiker lost in Norvan Falls overnight found safe and sound

An overnight search for a missing hiker in the Norvan Falls area of Headwaters Park has ended with good news.

Members of North Shore Rescue (NSR) were called out to search for the hiker Saturday evening.

“We searched for most of the night, and then this morning, we were up before daylight,” said search and rescue manager Paul Markey.

“We had North Shore Rescue personnel, Lions Bay, Coquitlam, Metro Vancouver, RCMP, a police dog. We had another drone, and we also had Talon helicopters.”

The hiker was eventually found alive and in good shape, “quite a ways off the trail,” by a crew member in a Talon helicopter.

Markey says the woman had originally been out hiking with another person and a dog. The woman went across the bridge over Northern Creek to take photos but never came back.

He says the woman became disoriented and got lost in the Lynn Creek area north of Norvan Falls.

“But they actually, very, very luckily, found a shelter that had been constructed by, we don’t know who, some backwoods person, a shelter has been constructed in that area,” Markey said.
“Inside the shelter were tarps, and so the subject actually managed to wrap themself in the tarp inside the shelter, and thereby survived the night.”

In the morning, the woman heard the helicopter and started waving one of the tarps, which was spotted by the crews.

Markey says the woman had good survival instincts.

“She made mistakes, but she was strong enough to survive the night,” he said.

The key message in this event is that hiking groups should stay together, leave a trip plan of exactly where they are going, and understand the weather conditions.

North Shore Rescue has been serving the community for 60 years

North Shore Rescue was established in 1965 as a team to help with Civil Defense activities in the case of a Russian nuclear attack. Members of the team were trained in building reinforcement, nuclear fallout measurement, and riot control, among other skills. The team was occasionally asked to help police look for lost hikers.

“Over time, it was realized that there was more of a need for a wilderness search and rescue team and not so much need for a Civil Defence unit,” NSR says on its website.

“Soon, the team started to focus on, and train and equip for, search and rescue operations in the North Shore mountains.”

Now, it responds to about 100 calls every year, with the numbers increasing over time.

NSR reminds anyone heading into the backcountry to be prepared for the conditions.