Image: Hope Search and Rescue

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Rescue effort

Hope Search and Rescue urges caution about technology limitations after locating female hiker

Oct 2, 2025 | 9:24 AM

HOPE — Volunteers with Hope Search and Rescue are urging the public to recognize the limitations of technology after they located an overdue female hiker on the HBC trail east of Hope Tuesday (Sept. 30).

Hope SAR says they were tasked with finding an overdue hiker on the HBC trail Tuesday afternoon amid uncertainty about where the individual had camped Monday night, and with only a few hours of daylight remaining. Three Hope SAR members were transported by Valley Helicopter with the goal of landing near Colville Camp at which point they would traverse an area over Manson’s Ridge.

Image: Kaitlin Hikes / Manson’s Ridge along the HBC trail.

Six members prepared to take a utility terrain vehicle up Peer’s Creek FSR to the washout where they would continue to hike to Manson’s Camp, while three members prepared to hike the Peer’s Creek section of the trail to the FSR.

Hope SAR says as the helicopter team flew over the HBC trail – a trail they estimate is at least 95 per cent covered by a very dense canopy of trees – volunteers successfully to visually locate the hiker as she was approaching Manson’s Camp. They were able to toe-in just before the camp and extract the tired hiker.

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“While we believe the hiker would have been able to hike out, arriving 9 hours after her expected arrival time, she was exhausted and thankful for an early extraction. Her gear had been thoroughly soaked the night before and was extremely heavy,” Hope SAR said. “Her phone had died and her solar powered charger was not working in the rainy conditions.”

Hope SAR says it encourages people to call when a hiker is overdue. As always, there is no charge for SAR.

“This call had a quick, positive outcome, but that is not always the case,” the rescue organization said.

Hope SAR says while it believes every rescue effort can better guide their work, they urge backcountry users to consider the following:

· Don’t rely on solar chargers in bad weather.

· If you carry a battery bank make sure you test it (or them) before you hike so that you know how many charges you can get out of it.

· Put your phone on airplane mode/battery saver or power it down when not in use to extend it’s life. Almost every SAR call involves a phone that’s almost dead or dies after contact is made.

· Understand the limitations of GPS communicators (whether you’re carrying a Garmin or similar device or have a phone with offline communication capabilities). These devices need a clear view of the sky so if you are hiking under a constant canopy, you won’t be able to message until you find a clearing.

Hope SAR also says having wet gear increases the weight hikers will carry. Packing everything into dry bags or even a big garbage bag is more ideal, since backpack covers are not 100 per cent effective in a heavy downpour.

They also urge hikers to leave a detailed trip plan, particularly on multi-day hikes. The HBC trail is over 70 kilometers long and knowing where to start will decrease the time it takes for search and rescue personnel to locate stranded or overdue hikers.