Royal Canadian Air Force members who helped ground crews rescue an injured man say it was search and rescue members who were the real heroes of the night.
Two back-to-back calls on Mount Benson Saturday kept search and rescue crews on the mountain for more than eight hours.
The first call Saturday afternoon had search and rescue crews help a woman with a sprained ankle off the mountain and then another call came in.
“They came back-to-back so as we loaded the first one into B.C. Ambulance the second one came in,” said Eugene Touchette, a Nanaimo SAR Manager.
This time a man had dislocated a shoulder near the mountain’s top.
With darkness setting in search and rescue called on 442 Squadron at CFB Comox. A Cormorant helicopter arrived but the weather was not cooperating.
“The helicopter could not see the ground or see a spot to be able to hoist them out,” said Major Ryan Port, the Buffalo Commander for 442 Squadron at 19 Wing Comox.
Crews in a Buffalo aircraft then started sending out flares. Each one lasting five minutes illuminating the ground for crews climbing up and then back down the mountain with the injured hiker.
They helped load him into a waiting ambulance after spending more than eight hours on the mountain.
Those at CFB Comox say the volunteers from both Nanaimo and Arrowsmith search and rescue should be commended for the Mount Benson rescues.
“Basically I was the guy holding the flashlight under the hood while they were changing the oil if you could use that vernacular,” said Port.
“We did what we needed to do but we’re super proud of our B.C. residents of Vancouver Island’s Grounds SAR’s are awesome.”
Two experienced hikers who climbed to the top of Mount Benson on Monday say the trails to the top remain treacherous.
“There’s lots of ice there with a fresh layer of snow so it’s super slippery up there,” said Jason Bradley, who says it’s crucial people going up are prepared.
“Everyone says it’s only Mount Benson. It’s only an hour, an hour 15 minutes up but I have traction control, I have what they call the 10 hiking essentials in my bag so if I get into trouble I have everything I need to be up on the mountain for quite some time.”
Bradley says it’s amazing how often he passes unprepared people on the mountain.
Kendall Hanson
