Film crew unprepared for B.C. wilderness

It has been a busy late summer season around here for SAR. This particular incident was a tragedy in the making if were not for a satellite phone. The area these people were headed to, had they reached it, is very rugged and is no place for amateurs nor the unprepared. At the end of the linked article is another ongoing SAR operation involving another missing couple that in all likelihood, will not have a good outcome.

A German film crew's expedition to the B.C. wilderness came to a dramatic end this week when they were hauled out of the forest, soaked and hypothermic, by members of North Shore Rescue.

The seven-person documentary team set out on foot into the woods Sept. 9, bound for the Terra Rosa Glacier northwest of Harrison Lake. They had no proper raingear and only one tarp between them, and had accidentally left their camp stoves in their vehicles. When the weather took a turn for the worse, the group got drenched. A cold night in the forest in wet sleeping bags left them in a bad state the next day. Several members of the crew soon started to develop hypothermia.

Late on the second day of their excursion, with one of the hikers developing an additional medical problem, the group decided to call for help. They had a satellite phone, but for some reason were unable to dial 9-1-1. Desperate, the crew dug up a receipt for equipment they had bought in Squamish and called the phone number printed on it. A clerk at the store passed their distress call on to emergency services.

A Documentary Film Crew? No research conducted before hand?Those links you provided would be enough research in itself!That terrain requires Full-Equipment,With Porters,Mach Schnell!

Let's hope the gene pool is very shallow and does not continue

The line in the story that caught my eye (referring to another ongoing SAR operation): "The couple were well equipped but didn't have a map or compass."

Talk about a contradiction!

Wow, thats not like the Germans to be so unprepared. They are the masters of Uber efficiency.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcIOqWpZlXI

'Jawohl Mein Fuhrer, I have to report a most terrible oversight, we have forgotten the tents, the waterproof jackets and over trousers, the camping stoves, the axe, the matches, the lighter and the Luger. But we have as many Condoms as we could possibly use.'

Well most of the time they are!!

Besides the fairly obvious "failings" leading up to the photographers' rescue, I was struck by something this event has in common with the couple recently rescued in the Waterton Lakes National Park area (BruceZed's Sept. 9th post: 31 Hours Stranded on Akimina Ridge).

A quote from that narrative: "I had foolishly taken out my fire starter the night before to start a fire where we were camping and had not put it back in my pack."

And similarly, the photographers "...accidentally left their camp stoves in their vehicles."

And the missing couple mentioned towards end of photographers'-rescue article: "The couple were well equipped, but didn't have a map or compass." Strictly speculation: How did authorities know this information? Did they find the map and compass left behind in hikers' vehicle? If so, suggests this gear might have been forgotten. Most seemingly-experienced hikers wouldn't have left behind on purpose.

Consider aviation's all-important preflight checklist to ensure all is as it should be and that nothing is overlooked prior to take-off ... all in the interest of safety.

The importance of a pre-hike checklist can't be stressed enough.

In regards to the missing couple, it appears it is only speculation about the no compass or map. There is a local forum here that has seemingly more info then the press does. One of the SAR people has posted info along with one of the missing females' friend.

The police nor SAR have not directly said the couple did not have a map or compass. The police (with permission from family) entered the missing man's apartment to see if there was any helpful clues as to the gear they had taken and perhaps more detailed info on their route. Given the time elapsed, terrain, weather, we may never know what exact gear the couple took....or did not take. I would not be surprised if the official search is called off tomorrow.

This photo was taken in the same area and on the same day the missing couple started their hike. The person who took the photo did not see any other hikers in the glacier area nor down back to the trailhead. However as the photo shows, in that terrain it would be very easy to miss someone if they were not close by.

Xbanker is absolutely right about the need for a pre-hike checklist. I always carry the same base PSK gear, however any other terrain/weather specific gear required is written down dwell beforehand and is checked off as it is put into the backpacks or the trunk of the car.

Precisely my routine. Especially as I get older (read: more forgetful ) Otherwise, more than once, I would've left behind gear that could've ruined an otherwise good time.

Re the photo ... beautiful country, but easy to see, potentially hostile under wrong circumstances.

Wow, of all the places to be stuck, an evergreen forest might be one of the best: lots of conifers for bedding & shelter, plenty of wood, that wonderful pine smell... really, you can tap into your inner Kochanski there.

After working with some Germans, my American cohorts decided that when a group of Germans speak amongst themselves, they are speaking about 1 of 2 possible topics:

1) world domination
2) beer

Postscript on the German film crew rescue. For the German adventure guide (self proclaimed survival trainer), this was the second time he had to be rescued in the same general area. The first time was only 2 years ago. I rarely voice any opinions on people who have called for or were in need of rescue, however this one really grates me. Some people should not be allowed in the back country...period

The 2 minute video in the above link provides a bit more info then the text news story.

My understanding (based on what might well be outdated information) is that the bar is considerably lower in many European jurisdictions with respect to calling for rescue. I saw this vividly years ago when on a mountaineering patrol on Denali. A European climber had basically had enough fun and asked for a helicopter rescue. This was at advance base camp, about 14,000 feet. It developed that he had incurred minor frostbite on his feet.

The NPS protocol for that situation, which we conveyed to him, was, "No problem! Don't thaw out your feet but proceed directly to the airstrip (7,000 below us), fly out and seek treatment." He was pretty disappointed, to say the least.

I believe most European climbers carry rescue insurance, which allows them to summon helos, etc., very easily.

The situation, as described, hardly merits rescue. When the fog rolls in, you stop moving, and maintain 98.6. I am surprised that they could not backtrack, at the very least.

A problem here is that the news accounts are very sketchy and omit, as always, important information. It would be revealing to talk to someone involved in the operation.

I must admit that this German guide seems pretty lame.

Not relevant to the SAR-related aspect, but a coincidental aside. Discussion on Blade Forums last month about the just-released "German Expedition Knife" designed by the guide, Tony Lennartz, here and here.

http://www.anton-lennartz.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=44

Does anyone else smell a publicity stunt?

http://www.youtube.com/user/AntonLennartz#p/u/2/Dd1B-cpDHgs

The German Guide doesn't seem to be having a problem lugging around a full pack in the summer months.

The reality is that year after year people underestimate the wilderness and go into it unprepared and untrained. Each year some of them die and some are hauled out by SAR. Even with training we are human and do make mistakes. That's why improvisation, perseverance, and backup plans are so important.

What it shows me is that our basic Outdoor Education System is either broke or non existent. Basic navigation and survival training seem to be taken for granted and often people that are totally unprepared and undertrained are considered "experienced" because they read a book or watched survivor man.

I think we need to do a lot more to increase the amount of general outdoor education taught in school's, and to youth groups. As well we should also state that without basic outdoor education you are endangering yourself if you travel into the wilderness. Remember that the most common reason that someone does not carry a map and compass is that they do not really know how to use it properly or at all.