NORTH Shore Rescue was called in to help with the rescue of a man stranded on a narrow cliff ledge in Coquitlam over the weekend.
The man became lost after heading out for a run along one of Burke Mountain's trails on Saturday and ended up on a narrow ledge. He was not found until early Sunday morning.
"Coquitlam Search and Rescue had spotted the subject from the air in a very steep canyon area, overlooking the Pitt River," said Tim Jones, North Shore Rescue leader. "And a short time later, they called requesting our assistance to do a helicopter long line rescue."
The team, one of many involved in the rescue, was called in shortly before 8 a.m. Sunday, said Jones, and it took approximately an hour and a half to pull the man out.
"This was not a standard long line rescue," he said, adding that the team required a 250foot long line to reach the man. Two rescue technicians were offloaded above the cliff and repelled down to avoid knocking the unprotected man off of the outcropping.
"We weren't rushing this call," said Jones. "He was actually exposed to the sun so he was quite warm."
They were then able to secure the man into an evacuation harness and airlift him to safety.
"He was uninjured but quite tired and beat up," said Jones. The man was wearing only a t-shirt, shorts and running shoes and Jones said it didn't appear that he had a lot of equipment with him.
Jones said that even though trail runners like to travel light, he does not recommend it for that area. Bringing small hydration packs, a first aid kit and even GPS can make a difference, even with the added weight. "Ten pounds could mean everything to you surviving," he said.
Long line helicopter rescues require a lot of experience, said Jones, and it was the culmination of the experienced pilot, technicians and team that lead to the man's safe rescue, as well as the combined effort of the other rescue teams.
