A BOY who got lost while hiking managed to find his way to safety on Bornite Mountain yesterday.
The eight-year-old boy and his family, who are from the area, were out hiking on the mountain near Kleanza Creek, when around lunchtime, the boy became separated from his family near the top of the mountain, said search and rescue search manager Dave Jephson.
Police were called and Terrace Search and Rescue went out by helicopter to the location where the parents last saw the boy, he said.
Officers brought out the police dog and local search and rescue called out Kitimat Search and Rescue members to help, said Jephson, adding Terrace sent out 10 searchers and Kitimat eight.
“The concern was obviously before it got dark, we had to hammer the mountain to do the best we could to get on the search,” he said.
The boy followed a creek until he found a trail and followed it toward the bottom of the mountain, said Jephson.
He met up with other hikers and was reunited with his family around 9 p.m., said Jephson.
Although following the creek was a good idea that helped get the boy back to his parents, search and rescue advises people to stay put when lost.
“We would promote that whole idea of hug a tree. We prefer people to stay where they are. Once you realize you're lost, hunker down, make a shelter, try to stay in the open," he said.
The key is time: tell someone what time you're leaving, when you plan to come back and your intended route, said Jephson.
“We do take a lot of emphasis on that (times). It is the foundation to enable our searchers to fan out [to search,]" he said.