Busy Autumn for LBSAR
Five rescues in 24 hours
The Lions Bay Search and Rescue team (LBSAR) has had a busy start to the autumn season.
Normally at this time of year, they respond to around 30 calls. This year, they've hit 42, only mid-way through the season.
In one 24-hour period at the end of September, they responded to four separate calls involving hikers on the Howe Sound Crest Trail, as well as a night rescue on Tunnel Bluffs.
LBSAR Training Officer & Search Manager Maria Masiar said the series of rescues began when a hiker who fell down a steep section of the trail near Thomas Peak severely lacerated one leg.
"His fall was eventually stopped when he became caught in a tree near a major drop," said Masiar. "Had that tree not stopped him, he could have continued falling hundreds of metres down the mountainside."
She said that a fall in exposed mountain terrain can have consequences far beyond the initial injury, and reminded hikers who find themselves in a tough spot to move slowly and deliberately, with three or four point of contact as required.
The second call that day came from hikers who got lost after starting from Cypress while relying on Google Maps for navigation. Masiar said the hikers underestimated the length of the route, and decided to try to find a route down via Mount Unnecessary toward the Erin Moore Trail.
"This is an extremely difficult descent trail," Masiar said. "If you have to exit early, we recommend the Binkert Trail instead."
She added that the team has spoken out before against using Google Maps as a backcountry navigation tool. "It is primarily designed for roads and urban navigation," she said. "It does not calculate hiking routes correctly and gives inaccurate times."
LBSAR suggests hikers use an accurate offline backcountry mapping application such as AllTrails or Gaia GPS, and know how to use it before departing.
The next two calls involved support for hikers with knee injuries on the Howe Sound Crest Trail.
Masiar noted that both groups were travelling overnight with significant pack weight. The combination of tough terrain and steep descents proved too difficult on the hikers' knees to continue.
The Howe Sound Crest Trail winds through rugged alpine terrain with significant elevation changes. Masiar notes that while the length of the hike may be comparable to other treks, this trail presents significant challenges. With "difficult footing, route-finding challenges and sections of Class 3 terrain with chains and serious exposure, around the Lions and toward Thomas Peak, a slip or fall in the wrong place can have severe consequences."
She noted that a heavy overnight pack also changes how your body moves, and the added weight increases the demands on your legs during long descents, particularly after hours of fatigue. Masiar cautioned against the Howe Sound Crest Trail for a first big overnight hike.
With the autumn season in full swing, daylight hours are rapidly on the wane, and Masiar pointed out that temperatures have been dropping below freezing at night in alpine areas.
"Dewy rock, roots, vegetation and exposed terrain can become considerably more hazardous after an overnight freeze," she said. And with the shorter days, a route that took most of the available daylight a few weeks ago can now mean a return after dark.
"Underestimating your travel time, getting temporarily off route, slowing down because of an injury or encountering more difficult terrain than expected can quickly turn into night travel."
Headlamps, spare power banks and warm layers, gloves and a toque should be part of every hiker's list of essentials, as are micro-spikes at this time of year.
Masiar is also a big advocate of trekking poles. "A 1999 Journal of Sports Sciences study measured downhill walking on a 25 degree slope and found that trekking poles significantly reduced ground-reaction forces, knee-joint moments, and tibio-femoral compressive and shear forces by 12–25 percent."
"That matters on routes like the HSCT, where long, steep descents combined with fatigue and a heavy overnight pack can place considerable demands on your knees."
The fifth rescue of the weekend was to collect a group of teens stranded by the dark after setting off unprepared for a sunset hike.
"The group had planned their trip largely using information they found on social media," said Masiar. "They intended to navigate using AllTrails, watch the sunset, and then use the flashlights on their phones to make their way back down after dark. This is a combination we strongly discourage."
The hikers had no equipment for night time beyond their phones, no extra clothing, food or water and no trip plan, so their families did not know they were missing.
Masiar said a pair of well-equipped campers offered help and warm clothing to the teens until SAR arrived to escort them home.
She noted that autumn can be a particularly challenging time of year in the mountains, with quickly-changing conditions including shorter daylight, overnight freezing, ice and snow at elevation, colder temperatures and increasingly slippery terrain.
"The mountains have changed seasons. Our planning, equipment and expectations need to change with them."
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