Coquitlam Search and Rescue has pulled an injured hiker off a popular Tri-Cities trail after she fell and broke her arm.
The hiker initially called BC Ambulance, but when dispatchers realized the she was atop one of the viewpoint along the eight-kilometre loop overlooking Buntzen Lake known as Diez Vistas, a SAR team was called in.
“The group initially tried to hike out, but the injured hiker couldn’t make it,” said Coquitlam Search and Rescue president Tom Zajac.
Earlier this afternoon, Coquitlam #SAR was requested by @bc_ehs to evacuate an injured hiker from Diez Vistas trail at #BuntzenLake. The subject was transported by helicopter long line and handed over to waiting paramedics. #bcsar pic.twitter.com/t1VNQOFhOD
— Coquitlam SAR (@CoquitlamSAR) October 7, 2020
By 3:30 p.m., rescuers arrived by Talon helicopter and long-lined the woman to the park’s entrance where an ambulance was waiting to take her to hospital.
Rescues along the Diez Vistas trail are relatively common. Despite the tragic disappearance of a hiker in the same vicinity in late August, Zajac said this year has seen a significant decrease in traffic at Buntzen Lake just as rescues have spiked in less-trodden areas like Burke Mountain and Widgeon Slough.
Entrance into Buntzen Lake has been limited due to the pandemic, and along Diez Vistas trail traffic has been regulated to flow in one direction. Some say that’s served to push traffic further into the backcountry.
“We’re at a record-breaking year still with three months to go,” said Zajac. “But we’re seeing a lot of traffic in less common areas.”
