Princeton Ground Search and Rescue (GSAR) goes everywhere and will use every means to get to someone in trouble.
Saturday, June 22, there was a call for rescue at Manning Park at approximately 1 p.m.
A hiker was injured, on the far side of Lightning Lake.
According to team manager Paul Fyfe, a 62-year-old woman from the Lower Mainland, who was hiking with friends, broke her leg.
“She stepped to the side of the trail, to let some other hikers go by, and she put her foot in a hole and the ground collapsed and she twisted (her leg) as she fell.”
Fyfe said the team has six members who either live or work at Manning Park, or live in nearby Eastgate.
Those were the first to respond.
The only way to get to the injured woman was by boat, and the park allowed Princeton GSAR to use Manning’s canoes to reach her, and then transport her back to the shore near Highway 3, on a stretcher.
She was then taken to hospital in Hope.
Fyfe remarked that three years ago another injured hiker had to be rescued by boat.
“It’s a busy spot because it’s so easy to access,” he said.
In this recent incident, there was no traditional cell service available, but a fellow hiker had an iPhone that could contact emergency services through satellite.
While calls to the popular recreation spot are not uncommon, their frequency varies, said Fyfe.
“It depends on the year. Last year we didn’t have one at all to Manning Park, all through the summer and the winter.”
This year we’ve already had three to Manning Pari, and three years ago we had something like 20,” said Fyfe.
“It really just depends on the weather and the people who show up, whether they are prepared or not.”
