A MAN who spent more than five hours stranded on a cliff face near Shames Mountain after he and a friend tried a short cut was rescued by Terrace Search and Rescue and a helicopter yesterday.
At dusk, the hiker was spotted precariously perched on the cliff and ground searchers lowered him by rope without injury, said police.
It had been approximately more than five hours for the hiker clinging to the rock face unable to relax, said police.
Two friends were out hiking along Shames River for the day but their progress was slower than expected so they decided to hike up a waterfall chute to cut back to the road, said police.
The 32-year-old man started the climb and soon found himself unable to go any further up or climb back down, said police.
His friend, who hiked out for help, was soon twisted around in the unfamiliar terrain but eventually made it back to the vehicle and drove to an area with cell service to call for help, said police.
Terrace RCMP received the call for help at approximately 8 p.m. last night and immediately activated Terrace Search and Rescue. A helicopter was called out to assist.
This area is commonly known by locals as The Valley of the Damned. It is comprised of rough, dangerous terrain, and thick bush. The Terrace Search and Rescue response in this incident was excellent and the experience of the team members proved invaluable. It is questionable whether the hiker would have been able to maintain his hold on the rock face throughout the night.
says Const. Bruce Lofroth, general duty officer with Terrace RCMP.
But that was not the end: the hiker, escorted by a Search and Rescue volunteer, had to hike out through the rough terrain and even with head lamps fell a number of times, said police.
The Search and Rescue volunteer fell onto a porcupine and had 30 porcupine quills embedded in his arm.
The Terrace RCMP would like to remind people who head into the backcountry to ensure they are properly prepared in the case of an emergency and the unexpected happens.
Ensure you are familiar with the area. Carry an emergency kit. It could save your life. It could also lessen the risk for our emergency personnel,
says Const. Angela Rabut, community policing/media relations officer of Terrace RCMP.