Ontario hikers survive a week lost in the B.C. wilderness
Digital Reporter
Tuesday, June 30, 2015, 3:41 PM - Family members of an Ontario couple lost in the British Columbia backcountry have plenty of reasons to rejoice this week, after the search for the missing hikers ended in the best possible way.
On Monday, June 22, Rick Moynan and Lynne Carmody of North Bay, set out on what was supposed to be a nice, scenic walk around Glacier Lake in Cathedral Provincial Park.
What began as a leisurely hike quickly escalated when the pair failed to return to their car at the end of the day.
Cathedral Provincial Park and Protected Area, Keremeos, British Columbia
Comox Valley Search and Rescue launched a search, which involved more than 300 people and 19 teams from across the province, concluding members of B.C Parks and the RCMP.
But after finding no signs of the hikers a week after they went missing, officials called off the search.
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Family and friends prepared to say their final goodbyes by heading into the mountains to the spot where the hikers went missing.
That same day, in what some are calling a miraculous turn of events, Moynan and Carmody emerged from the woods, following the sound of search helicopters.
"We were literally saying our goodbyes and preparing ourselves for what came next ... when we heard over the radio that they've just walked into the lodge and they are OK," said Moynan's daughter Sara in a CBC report this week. "I cannot begin to describe the emotions that happened in those two minutes."
They sought help at the lodge where they had been vacationing in the southern Okanagan, before they were taken to hospital to be treated for dehydration, a few scrapes and bug bites.
Without any proper hiking equipment or supplies, Moynan and Carmody became lost in a heavily forested area of the park in southern B.C. They managed to build themselves a lean-to shelter, where they hunkered down for several days. They stayed close to a drainage basin, which provided much needed water amid the intense heat of recent days.
Rick Moynana and Lynne Carmody escorted to hospital by helicopter after emerging from the woods at Cathedral Lakes Lodge
"It's absolutely amazing," said Jeff Smedley of Prince George Search and Rescue told CBC. "Seven days in the bush—they are alive and well and able to walk."
Though they remained in the same general area through the week, rescuers say the dense forested landscape would have made it nearly impossible to spot the hikers from the air.
Unprepared for the time spent in the wild, Moynan admitted that he lost about 10 pounds through the ordeal, returning with nothing but a Tic Tac in his pocket.
Park officials are warning anyone embarking on outdoor excursions in the B.C. bush to take necessary precautions and survival gear.
