A North Vancouver trail runner had to be rescued Saturday evening after losing his way in deep fog.
The man was jogging near the top of Mount Fromme, just east of Grouse Mountain, when he encountered the cloud bank, according to rescuers. Cellphone coverage was spotty at the top of Fromme, but the victim managed to call his wife at home and let her know he needed help. She phoned 9-1-1, and police passed the call on to North Shore Rescue.
The volunteer team couldn't get any calls through to the lost runner, but search manager Allan McMordie found he could exchange texts, helping the rescuers zero in on his location.
"Quite often we're able to get a text to people. It requires less cell coverage than a voice conversation," McMordie said.
It took about two hours for rescuers to find the man, "cold but not hypothermic," thanks to the fact he found a well-known signpost and waited next to it.
Bringing a cellphone, letting someone know where he was going, and staying put near a landmark probably made all the difference, said McMordie.
"He didn't try to do something silly and get himself injured by going down a creek or down some other way. . . . He was able to identify where he was, and he just stayed there even though it must have been uncomfortable and cold. It was pouring, really soaking wet up there," McMordie said. "He did everything right for a situation out there when you get lost in the fog."
