Sign stealers endangering Grouse Mountain hikers

North Shore Rescue is sounding the alarm about missing trail signs after helpinga hiker who became lost on the old B.C. Mountain Clubs (BCMC)trail on Grouse Mountain Sunday night.

The male hiker was rescued and uninjured butNSR spokesman Mike Dankssaidhe likely became lost because someone keeps removing signs marking the trail, especially around the area ofMackay Creek.

"ThatMacKayCreek area has been marked on threeseparatetimes now [this summer] andevery timeit gets markedsomeonegoes in there and pulls all the markers down," said Danks.

"The markers are up for a good reasonso people don't getlost. And with this call we had last night, [the signs] probably would have prevented that from happening."

According to Danks,sign markers along other trails have also gone missing, although the BCMC trail, which runs parallel to the Grouse Grind, has been the worst hit.

NSR was able to locate the lost hiker by pinging hiscell phone and 14 volunteers helped with therescue, which took place in the dark.

Danks says no one knows who is removing the signs, or why.

"They'redeliberately being taking down. What ever the motivation is we'renotsure," he said.

"We'd like totalkto this person and try to understand [it]."

With files from Brenna Rose