North Shore Rescue breaks record for highest number of callouts in a year

One of Metro Vancouver's biggest search and rescue teams has broken itsrecord for the highest number of calloutsin a year.

With the rescue of two lost, coldhikers Thursday night,North Shore Rescue (NSR)has now responded 141 times in 2018.

NSR tracks down people who run into trouble onand around theNorth Shore mountains. On average, the volunteer-run group responds to about 130 calls in a year.

On Thursday, twohikers got lost with their dogs in the Grouse-Mount Frommearea around 9 p.m. PT. They'd spotted a cougar and bolted off the trail.

"They ran in a direction where they weren't thinking After the panic, they found themselves lost," said NSRteam member Peter Haigh. "Where they ended up was very, very steep terrain."

Around 15 team members hiked "quite a long way" upto the west side of Mosquito Creek, eventually finding a way across the water to help the hikers out around 1 a.m.

Haigh said the hikers, a man and woman out withtwo dogs, were unhurt but cold. The team had to use ropes to walk them down.

"So they wouldn't fall over carrying the dogs," Haighexplained Friday morning.

"Everybody was fine. No problem there. A little cold with the clothing they were wearing but we were able to clothe and warm them up."

'It's been a busy year'

NSR's previous record for highest number of calls in a year was 139,set in 2015.

"It's been a busy year, but the calls these days are often a lot shorter than 20 years ago. It still makes [for] a busy time and all team members need to put a lot of hours in to cover all the calls."

NSR has an extensive portion of its website dedicated to education, with safety tips and lists of what to bring on a hike and what to do before you leave.

The mostcommon way for a hiker to run into trouble is being caught on a trail at nightfall without a flashlight, according to the team.

"That is why carrying a good quality flashlight or headlamp with extra bulb and batteries per personis No. 1 on our list of the 10essential items," the website reads.

The NSR team is made up of around 50 volunteers. The organization was established in 1965, making it one of the oldest search and rescue teams in the country.

The team does not charge for rescues to avoid deterring someone in trouble from calling for help.