Unprepared hikers saved from ‘heinous’ conditions on North Vancouver’s Mount Seymour

more at link …

To rescuers’ dismay, the subjects used most of their remaining cellphone batteries’ life calling and texting friends and family before finally calling 9-1-1 around 9 p.m. By then, because of poor cell reception and a language barrier, North Shore Rescue volunteers were only able to speak to the lost men briefly and gather little reliable information. The men spent their remaining battery life communicating with friends, Jones said.

By the time searchers found them at 3:30 a.m., the men were soaked and mildly hypothermic. Volunteers brought them dry clothes and warm fluids for the long hike back out, but the rescue subjects couldn’t make the trip in the running shoes they were wearing. A second resupply team was dispatched to bring in boots from NSR’s cache.

http://www.nsnews.com/news/lost-hikers-spent-hypothermic-night-in-north-shore-backcountry-1.653284#

So, they had electronics, but used them to text and call buddies after begging for help? No GPS feature for the 911 call? Running shoes?

Darwin is frustrated.

(hahahahaa!!! stop shrieking)

.

I'm confused about how footwear was such a factor? Did they hike until their shoes were nothing but shredded mesh in a pile at their feet before deciding they shouldn't go further in running shoes?

Sounds like simple gear bias to me. SAR staff can be on the military/fire fighter side of the fence when it comes to gear. Perhaps they were bushwhacking to take shortcuts. I'm sure someone who is dehydrated and/or hypothermic wouldn't be very graceful and cold wet feet don't add to deft motion.

Maybe their feet were soaked? or maybe the runners weren't really a factor but the rescuers decided it wouldn't be "safe" for them to walk out without real MEN boots :).

Maybe Eric can elaborate a little on what conditions they would/could have encountered up there that would make trail runners and the like inappropriate (was there snow or rough terrain)?

unless your feet are trained and you have practiced for all types of terrain … i think its a bit of a myth that anyone can just put on sneakers and get through any environment and conditions

up here we have quite a bit harsh terrain if yr off the beaten track … wet slippery rocks, moss all over the place on said rocks, what is basically a rain forrest, etc … and snow in places …

i can easily see some runners not having the needed traction for some of the conditions we may get … especially in a rain storm, which weve had quite a bit lately …

also remember that in cold wet environments, trench foot is a VERY real concern … your feet need to be kept at least dry or warm even over a single night in cold wet conditions …

heres someone 2 years ago who couldnt get out and needed to be rescued because of trench foot that developed overnight

http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/10/23/man-lost-for-nine-days-in-b-c-s-north-shore-mountains-cheated-death/

remember that with well ventilated runners, your feet WILL get cold and wet in an overnight bivy, and you need to protect them in an emergency or you may not be able to walk out

i think its pretty telling that NSR has to keep footwear in its supply caches for rescue to give to people …

runners work great, when you know what you are doing, are well trained with them, and are aware of their limitations

i think its a fallacy though that they are suitable for everything and anyone, who may have minimal experience and training with them in harsh terrains and conditions …

;)

Only at BPL would a hiker rescue turn into an argument about lightweight shoes vs boots : )

"unless your feet are trained and you have practiced for all types of terrain … i think its a bit of a myth that anyone can just put on sneakers and get through any environment and conditions"

duh….

"golly gee wiz, you mean I have to train? …in the shoes I'm going to use?…"

Well, eric, I'll go out on a limb here as suggest that most people on BPL recognize the need to train with the gear they are going to use.

Sneaker are fine. And for winter conditions you supplement.

Why drag in tabloid headlines of "Unprepared…The men, in their 20's had set out for a day hike…"?

Well, eric, I'll go out on a limb here as suggest that most people on BPL recognize the need to train with the gear they are going to use.

weve had quite a few people around with stories about not training enough with minimal shoes and getting problems …

weve also had over the years plenty of relatively newish people buy gear for the first time and perhaps not pratice as much as they should

how many people practice their runners off trail in continuously wet, rocky, mossy, rain forest conditions here? … maybe not needed if yr in a nice dry place … but its probably a good idea to practice it in the park up here in BC before finding out for real

remember just because ueli steck or kilian jornet can run up the eiger with minimal gear and be back in time for beer, doesnt mean that i can use the same gear list on a 2-3 day ascent

heres a simple question … youve lost your way on a day hike and are basically bushwhacking on near vertical terrain, and need to spend the night … the conditions are near freezing overnight with 30mm+ rain and 30 km/h winds … you are in the PNW wilderness … how do you keep you feet dry/warm as possible so your feet dont get trench foot

this kind of situation has happened over and over again up here ….

even in relatively dry conditions …

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=4338de03-b298-47ab-9241-1c880a2da7c1

;)

What was the purpose of this thread? To confirm that they were unprepared? That the lightweight approach to gear is not appropriate in all conditions (friggin' Duh!)?

"Shrugs"

"A North Vancouver trail runner who lost his way while running…"

Same tabloid BS.

"What was the purpose of this thread?"

This is eric's "Alarmist Blog". It has no purpose.

They probably got stuck overnight in snow, rain, cold conditions and got super cold feet. Understandable. For day hikes in wet weather I carry bread bags and dry socks so I have something dry to change into if I'm stuck overnight.

"A North Vancouver trail runner who lost his way while running…"

Same tabloid BS.

the rescue actually happened … and NSR responded … i guess thats tabloid BS for ya

This is eric's "Alarmist Blog". It has no purpose.

this is about a rescue in the great outdoors in which various mistakes were made …

you can scream "alarmist" all you want … thats up to you

a "never can happen to me" attitude is the most dangerous thing that i look for in climbing when avoiding people

;)

I am just surprised a bear wasn't involved. That would have made it orgasmically complete, Eh Mr. Chan? LOL

I am just surprised a bear wasn't involved. That would have made it orgasmically complete, Eh Mr. Chan? LOL

as always your contributions are absolutely insightful mr. ure

not that i expect anything less than you other than a nice flaming fire

;)

You start the fire by posting this dribble that takes shots at lightweight backpacking. Greg and I are just calling you out.

You fail to answer the questions posed to you.

question … i said "this is about a rescue in the great outdoors in which various mistakes were made …"

that is what this "thread" WAS about …

youre the one contributing about "orgasmic completeness"

if you want to be your usual flaming self i suggest we continue that via PM …

perhaps you can comment on the rescue itself in this thread …

which by the way can happen to many people, including BPLers who go for dayhikes

;)

I don't have enough history on this forum to know why Eric's posts always seem to draw so much ire. Generally I enjoy dissecting a rescue to determine what folks did wrong, what they did right, when it became irreversible. I truly enjoyed the blog post in the other thread by that gal that got trapped on the PCT by the 3' of snow. Anyway, back to this one- I don't see the shoes as the problem. I wear trail runners just about year round- including the dead of winter if the snow is hard pack. In the summer, I'd rather wear trail runners than anything else, including when it's raining. My trail runners grip better than the stiffer soles of my boots do, and my feet will be wet either way but at least my runners breathe and can eventually dry out in the field. No way will my boots dry out in the field. I get blisters from even a well fitted boot, and don't blister in my runners. Blisters will make me lame long before trenchfoot will as I have the good sense to dry my feet out at night.

Frankly it sounds to me like what really went wrong is these guys didn't have appropriate navigation skills so they got lost, and they didn't have an appropriately selected clothing and personal survival kit so they got chilled. They could have had on the best boots in the world and it wouldn't have changed that.