A teenage girl who was missing for more than two days in Golden Ears Provincial Park has been found alive and well, Ridge Meadows Search and Rescue said.
The good news was confirmed shortly after 11 p.m. Thursday night by rescue team member Ryan Smith in an email to CBC.
In a Friday morning press conference, RCMP Supt. Wendy Mehat confirmed that the 16-year-old was found around 9:30 p.m
She was tired, but unharmed except for some mosquito bites. After a medical assessment, she returned to her family.
“She’s healthy, she’s happy, she’s with family,” Mehat said on Friday. “That’s the best possible result for us.”
The news is a relief from a days-long frantic search for the teen after she became separated from the other three people she was walking with on Tuesday afternoon.
Search over difficult terrain
A helicopter, drone and teams of rescuers from across the Lower Mainland all helped search for the girl in what rescuers described as difficult terrain.
The teen’s group left a lookout at about 2:45 p.m. Tuesday to head back to their campground, and about 15 minutes later, they noticed the teen was missing.
Police say the group returned to the overlook to look for the girl, and when she was not found, the leader returned to the trail entrance to have a park ranger call the police.
About 54 hours after she went missing, the teen walked off the East Canyon Trail, the same trail she was on when she separated from the group.
Smith said the teen was taking precautions and had food and drink with him.
He encouraged others to do the same, saying hikers should carry essentials and provide others with an itinerary and scheduled return time.
Mehat said the teen’s family expressed their gratitude for the work of search and rescue teams and has asked for privacy at this time.
