Sixteen Campbell River Search and Rescue members scoured the bush area near Gosling Lake for a missing female mushroom picker overnight Thursday, Nov. 9 into the morning of Friday, Nov. 10.
“After four hours of bushwhacking through wet, dense, forest and traversing old logging roads with ATVs, the subject was located,” Daryl Beck, CRSAR manager, reports. “She was exhausted after 21 hours of exposure in the bush. Fortunately, one of our members who is an ER doctor was able to assess the woman and determined that transport by ambulance to the CR hospital for observation was the best course of action.”
As the mushroom picking season comes to an end, CRSAR would like to remind pickers to have a plan for the activity, let someone know your plan, and be physically conditioned to spend some time in the bush.
Further recommendations would be to take the Ten Essentials with you: signaling device-whistle, navigation (compass or GPS), fire starter, knife, water, snacks, warm clothes, hat, first aid kit, space blanket all in a backpack.
SAR members are pleased that most backcountry visitors take precautions to keep themselves safe, and at the same time these same members are willing to assist when a situation develops. There is no cost to subjects for SAR services.
“Coincidentally recently our regular Tuesday night training focused on navigating/searching in the bush at night. who would have known we would be using that practise so soon?” Beck said.
READ MORE: $80,000 for Search and Rescue hall in Campbell River
@AlstrT | editor@campbellrivermirror.com
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