Search and rescue crews help retrieve 17 cold campers from remote Coquitlam-area lake

Coquitlam Search and Rescue crews helped evacuate 17 cold and soggy campers Friday from a remote campsite in Pinecone Burke Provincial Park accessible only by plane or helicopter.

Jim Delgrande, a search manager with the unit, said the 17 campers were stranded at Widgeon Lake, located between Coquitlam and Pitt Lake to the north, after their planned departure on Thursday by chartered float plane was delayed by inclement weather.

"They sent a message that they were cold, tired and out of resources and so we were activated for that," Delgrande said.

No immediate emergency

The group, which Delgrande described as a group of friends from Vancouver and Toronto, had chartered a float plane to the remote area on Tuesday for a two-day camping trip in the mountainous backcountry.

As the weather turned on Thursday, the group's supplies dwindled for their third unplanned day.

"There didn't seem to be an immediate emergency but they were cold. They were wet. They were not particularly well-prepared," Delgrande said.

"If the weather closed in and they were stuck there for another two days, they might not be in trouble now, but in another day or two, they could definitely be hypothermic."

Search crews sent in a helicopter to pick up the campers. Seven campers were retrieved in two trips, and helicopter crew reported conditions were fair for a float plane to land. The chartered float plane company, which was on stand-by, picked up the remaining 10 campers.

The campers were uninjured.

A unique situation

Delgrande said the scenario was a unique one, but there were still learning opportunities.

"In this case, there should have been a backup plan," he said. "The subjects should have been prepared for spending an extra day or two there. I don't know what the float plane company had in the way of a backup plan in case they couldn't go in."

As for the cost of the rescue, Delgrande said while typically search and rescue crews do not charge for their searches, this case could be different.

"There was some question as to whether the subjects, for example, could have chartered a helicopter or whether the carrier might have been responsible for retrieving them," he said.

"I just don't know the answer to that question ... That is up in the air."