Lions Bay Search and Rescue (LBSAR) says it was called out Sunday after a husband and wife attempting to complete the Howe Sound Crest Trail became exhausted during the long hike.
The pair was attempting to finish the hike in a single day, LBSAR says, but weren’t able to make it past 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 a.m,” the service said on social media.
“By the time they reached James Peak, they were exhausted and unable to continue.”
LBSAR says it partnered with Talon Helicopters to conduct the manoeuvre, which it says was 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.”
This wasn’t the team’s only rescue of the night.
“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,” it said.
“A second team responded in the LBSAR truck, driving up the access road to locate and retrieve the subject.”
The husband and wife were poorly equipped for the trip, the team says.
“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.”
Anyone attempting the full trail is reminded to carry enough equipment to stay out after dark or spend the night in the backcountry.