UPDATE:
Two Victoria men missing on Mount Albert Edward since the weekend have been found alive and healthy.
Paul Berry of Comox Search and Rescue said the hikers were found in "good condition" by Moat Lake this morning. A ground team spotted footprints and followed them to the hikers.
The lost hikers were Christopher Yao, 31, a University of Victoria master’s student in kinesiology exercise science, and Jean-Simon Lessard, 22, who works at CFB Esquimalt as a military electrical distribution technician.
Yao's brother and mother arrived just as news came down that hikers had been located, said Berry
"I can't imagine what it would have been like travelling on a plane from Ontario thinking the worst and hoping for the best and to arrive in the company of the RCMP and then to hear the best news. It was very emotional for them," Berry said.
A Cormorant helicopter from CFB Comox was dispatched to take them to hospital in Courtenay for assessment, but medical staff at the scene cleared the hikers.
The men were going to be debriefed about their ordeal with the RCMP.
— Cindy E. Harnett
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Search-and-rescue crews anticipate a higher cloud ceiling this morning and a clearing forecast for later today will help efforts to find two Victoria men believed to be trapped on Mount Albert Edward.
The lost hikers are Christopher Yao, 31, a University of Victoria master’s student in kinesiology exercise science, and Jean-Simon Lessard, 22, who works at CFB Esquimalt as a military electrical distribution technician.
Yao’s family is expected to arrive from Ontario today. There is no word on Lessard’s family. He is from Quebec and new to Victoria.
“We remain positive about these two young men making the right decisions and that with the weather clearing we’ll find them,” Paul Berry of Comox Search and Rescue said today. The men are bright and strong and searchers anticipate they have hunkered down somewhere awaiting rescue, he said.
A vehicle belonging to one of the men was found in the parking lot of nearby Mount Washington. Inside was a map book with a pencilled line showing a route from the car to Circlet Lake campsite., estimated to be anywhere from a two- to four-hour hike. From there the line continues from Circlet Lake to the summit. Some people run it in a day but ideally it’s considered a three-day hike.
Police said Tuesday the men started their ascent Friday but Berry has confirmed the men set out on their hike at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Given that the men have not been found in the lower treed area of the climb, said Berry, it’s believed that perhaps the men didn’t camp but instead decided to head straight up the mountain.
“Because we don’t know the exact travel plans and what was in the minds of these men when they set off, [we’re thinking] maybe these two fit guys did the trail head to Circlet Lake in two hours and continued to the peak on Saturday and never camped,” Berry said.
To that end, with a higher cloud ceiling today and a possible clearing, search-and-rescue air and ground crews are focusing to the west of Mount Albert Edward, which 2,093 metres high and the sixth-highest peak on Vancouver Island. It is considered the most accessible to summit of all Strathcona Park’s giant peaks.
Searchers by air and land will follow Otter Point Trail from Ruth Masters lake to the Otter Point trail head. Crews will also hike along the southern ridges of Albert Edward down into the Hope Faith and Charity chain of lakes.
Aircraft from 442 Squadron and an RCMP helicopter are scheduled to ferry ground searchers from point to point.
Ground crews also plan to hike in from the end of Buttle Lake while others will be at Mount Frank and Castle Craig and the chain of lakes, Faith Hope and Charity, Berry said.
On the ridges of Albert Edward, snow is knee- and waist-high, according to Berry.
An avalanche technician will also take part in the search today to assess the risk.
“And we get a clearing onto the peak we can check the cairn where there’s a guest book. We haven’t been able to get there. If a clearing in the weather doesn’t happen today as expected, it is certainly thought to happen tomorrow," Berry said.
An extensive ground search Tuesday turned up no sign of the missing men, who failed to return to university and work Monday. Heavy snow and thick fog hampered the search effort.
The ground search was suspended at dusk and an air search was to continue overnight with crews using night-vision goggles.
There were more than 30 searchers from across Vancouver Island covering the a large geographical area Tuesday with an RCMP helicopter, CFB Comox’s Cormorant helicopter and a private helicopter.
Those numbers are fewer today given other searches on the Island and the poor weather. “It will be ramped up tomorrow when the weather is better,” Berry said today.
All of the “drainage” areas that hikers have been lost or trapped on the peak in the past have also been searched, Berry said.
Mount Albert Edward is considered an iconic peak and a “must” for hikers on the Island.
“Our best hope is they are OK and hunkered down if lost or injured and, if they have [the right] equipment, can stay warm and in one place. Maybe they’ve done that and we just need to find them now,” said Comox Valley RCMP Const. Nicole Hall on Tuesday.
The hike is considered moderate to difficult in good weather but can be treacherous in bad weather. The treed area opens to a very exposed area and parts are a steep climb, leading to a scramble.
Both men are considered physically healthy and were prepared with a tent to spend a night on the mountain, said police.
