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Search For Missing Hiker Suspended

Posted on29. Aug, 2010 by TrekBC.

Source: CTV News After an intensive 12-day rescue effort, authorities have suspended the search for missing hiker Tyler Wright. The decision was made on Sunday night after a final day of searching rocky West Coast mountain terrain turned up no sign of the 35-year-old. Authorities say outstanding search tasks will still be completed, weather permitting, [...]

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Hiker Shatters Grouse Grind Record

Posted on27. Aug, 2010 by TrekBC.

When Sebastian Salas first told the staff at the Grouse Mountain chalet that he had run the Grouse Grind in less than 24 minutes Tuesday, they didn’t believe him.

A joke, maybe, from an exhausted hiker.

“(On) the TV up there with best times of the day . . . I didn’t see my time so I started to panic,” he said. “The first thought that went through my mind was: ‘I hope it read (the card) right, because I don’t know if I can do it that fast again.’ “

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More Clues in Search for Missing Hiker

Posted on26. Aug, 2010 by TrekBC.

Nine days into the search for missing hiker Tyler Wright, new clues that he could still be alive continue to turn up.

The latest signs — a campfire, ski pole tracks and distinctively large footprints — have turned up just west of Bull Creek, near Squamish, B.C.

Thursday, specialized trackers were flown in to figure out if the footprints match up with Wright’s whopping size-16 feet, as well as the tread on his shoes.

On Tuesday, searchers found signs of someone trying to climb up a small cliff.

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Campfires Okay in Parts of Coastal Fire Ctr

Posted on26. Aug, 2010 by TrekBC.

PARKSVILLE – Effective at noon on Friday, Aug. 27, 2010, campfires will be permitted within parts of the Coastal Fire Centre due to a decreased risk of wildfires.

Campfires are permitted within the Regional Districts of Mount Waddington and Central Coast; including the portions of Tweedsmuir Park that are within these regional districts. Although campfires, fireworks and tiki torches are now permitted within these areas, open fires of any other description remain prohibited, including burning barrels.

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New Clues Found in Search for Missing B.C. Hiker

Posted on25. Aug, 2010 by TrekBC.

The search for Tyler Wright entered its eighth day on Wednesday, after crews discovered more evidence the missing hiker could still be alive.

Searchers are now concentrating on an area called Bull Creek near Squamish, B.C., a day after crews located a 15-metre-long slide path down a rock face. They think Tyler tried to climb up out of the creek bed but slid back down instead.

Size-16 footprints believed to be Tyler’s were found in the creek bed near the slide area, confirming for rescuers that he continued on from there.

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BC Senior Climbs Grind for Pakistan

Posted on25. Aug, 2010 by TrekBC.

An 80-year-old retired Vancouver professor is raising money for Pakistani flood victims in an unusual way — he’s hiking up the Grouse Grind 20 times.

The gruelling 2.9-kilometer climb up the side of Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver can exhaust a fit person of any age, but Muhammad Iqbal said it’s no problem for him.

“I don’t need paramedics to come with me, no,” Iqbal said. “I am a very fit person, fortunately. I am blessed. I’ve done it so many times.”

Most people over 50 take about an hour to hike up the Grind. It takes Iqbal one hour and 46 minutes, and he plans to make at the climb least another 19 times — three times a week — in his fundraising effort.

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Patroller Saves Collapsed Hiker

Posted on25. Aug, 2010 by TrekBC.

A Grouse Mountain patroller is being credited with saving a life after a 61-year-old West Vancouver man had a heart attack at the top of the Grouse Grind.

The man collapsed near the resort’s Alpine Chalet at the top of the popular trail just before noon Saturday. By chance, two paramedics from Colorado, a doctor and a nurse from Seattle, and an off-duty firefighter from Surrey were among the visitors nearby. They rushed to the man’s aid, and found him unresponsive. At one point he went into cardiac arrest.

Someone contacted Grouse staff, and minutes later the first-aid trained patroller arrived with a defibrillator, which the patroller used to restart the man’s heart.

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Shoe Marks Lead the Way in Search for Missing Hiker

Posted on24. Aug, 2010 by TrekBC.

Some muddy size-16 shoe impressions have given friends and family new hope in the search for missing hiker Tyler Wright near Squamish, B.C.

The first of the distinctively large shoe impressions was discovered along the Boise Creek trail near the Bull Bowl last week, and more prints were found Monday afternoon.

“We’ve got trackers who’ve got a lot of experience in following footprints and looking for damaged undergrowth,” search and rescue manager John Willcox told CTV News.

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Helicopter Rented for Missing Hiker Search

Posted on23. Aug, 2010 by TrekBC.

The family and friends of overdue hiker Tyler Wright have taken to the skies in a rented helicopter in a desperate attempt to find the beloved 35-year-old.

Wright set out on a five-day solo hike from Squamish to Coquitlam nearly two weeks ago. A massive search effort began on Wednesday, two days after he was expected to return.

Alan Bedingfield, a former roommate of Wright’s, said he has faith that his friend is safe, but will do what it takes to make sure he is found.

“Friends and family have got a helicopter that we’ve been using to get up there, and stay out of the way of Search and Rescue but aid where we can,” he said.

“I know that he knows that we’re out here doing everything we can.”

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NV Men Stage 1,300 km Protest

Posted on20. Aug, 2010 by TrekBC.

TWO North Shore men are hiking along the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline to raise awareness about potential environmental disaster.

Frank Wolf, an adventurer and filmmaker, and Todd McGowan, a high school teacher and outdoor educator, are biking and hiking their way along the potential oil route between Fort McMurray and Kitimat, and will then follow proposed tanker routes by kayak.

The endeavour started when Wolf attended a talk given by Ian McAllister of Pacific Wild, an organization in northern B.C. that promotes wildlife conservation. After the presentation, Wolf explained his idea, and McAllister was intrigued. Pacific Wild ultimately agreed to back the trip. Armed with a sponsor, the pair set out on their adventure.

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Grind Mishap Sparks First Aid Dispute

Posted on20. Aug, 2010 by TrekBC.

An incident last week in which a hiker on the Grouse Grind waited close to 40 minutes for medical help has sparked a dispute over who should provide first aid on the popular trail.

The blame game flared up when a North Vancouver hiker told media he’s upset that Grouse Mountain Resort doesn’t do more to help people who get into trouble on the publicly-owned trail.

Richard Kinar said he came across a woman last week who was in medical distress on the trail, and waited for almost an hour while a team from North Vancouver District Fire and Rescue made its way up the Grind. Kinar said he was surprised and outraged that nobody from Grouse Mountain came to help the woman — despite a call to the resort.

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