A stranded hiker on Mount Seymour is lucky to be alive after being found with a low cell phone battery and improper equipment for the conditions, North Shore Rescue says.
Search and rescue volunteers received a call from police around 6:45 p.m. Friday about a lost solo hiker north of Pump Peak on Mount Seymour.
The hiker started heading up to Brockton Point around 2:30 p.m. Along the trek, she got lost after sunset and could not find the trail down. She began to wander around in the snow trying to find her way out. The hiker first called her friends, who then urged her to phone 911. By the time search managers talked to the solo hiker, she had one per cent phone battery left.
“She was lucky that she was able to get a contact with a cell tower so that she could make a 911 call and get her location,” said search manager Allan McMordie. “She would have died of hypothermia up there.”
After her phone call, search and rescue crews were able to pinpoint her location. Mount Seymour Ski Patrol drove North Shore Rescue crews up in a snowmobile, while other members hiked and skied to her location.
Once crews arrived they gave her a heated vest, food and fluids to warm her up, McMordie said. After she started to feel better, crews also gave her a headlamp and snowshoes, helping her down to the parking lot.
Volunteers wrapped up the call around 11 p.m.
While it was a fairly quick rescue, Friday’s call is a reminder for hikers to pack the essentials. The hiker didn’t bring a headlamp, wasn’t wearing the proper footwear and didn’t pack any extra clothing or food, McMordie said.
North Shore Rescue advises hikers to bring a flashlight or a headlamp with extra batteries, a signalling device, a fire starter, warm clothes, a pocketknife, something for shelter, water and food, a first-aid kit, navigation device like a compass and a cell phone with a fully charged battery.
Friday’s rescue is also a reminder to be mindful that cold weather and poor cell signal can rapidly drain phone batteries. It’s essential to have a trip plan, said McMordie.
“The trip plan is the most important thing,” he said. “Tell somebody where you’re going, when you’ll be back and tell them to not be afraid to phone 911 and give them this information. We would much rather go and investigate than have to do some major rescue later on at night. You’re not putting us out.”
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
By Abby Luciano, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Feb 22, 2026 at 22:15
Recent Comments