“He spent four days trapped on a rocky slope, with barely any food and just enough water to survive. His only protection from the elements: a jacket and a sleeping bag.”
Frightening story of a canoe trip gone wrong up in B.C. where a man had stopped to take a quick break on a rocky shore when his boat got away from him. Slippery rocks made it too dangerous to go after the canoe, trapping him on the shore with limited food and water supplies. The rest of his provisions were in the canoe.
The Squamish Chief reports 4 days later Steve Best was out for a paddle in his kayak through Howe Sound near Squamish when he came around a corner and saw the man stranded several meters away from the shoreline. He made contact and the confused canoeist asked him whether it was Saturday or Sunday, it was actually Tuesday.
Best called for help and the Squamish Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue team were quickly on scene. The man was a little cold but otherwise in good spirits and didn’t need any medical care.
This is a great example of why its so important to have an emergency contact who’s aware of your trip plans before heading into the backcountry and ensure that person has a deadline for your return. Failure to check-in at that time will raise alarms and your contact can assume something has gone wrong and call 911. That will trigger the process that will ultimately lead to a search and rescue if need be.
“You can never take it for granted that things can’t go sideways fast. It’s a really good example of needing to be prepared and how quick bad things can happen.” –Scott Shaw-MacLaren RCM-SAR Deputy Manager