‘Determined’ teen hiker praised for preparedness after missing more than 50 hours in Metro Vancouver park
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 the 16-year-old from Langley, BC, 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.
“Esther Wang has been located,” Mehat said Friday. “She’s healthy, she’s happy, she’s with family. That’s the best possible outcome 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.
Smith said Friday that 16 rescue teams were involved in the search.
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 praised the teen for her preparedness.
“[She] precautions taken. She had food and drink. She seemed to stop and then think, orient herself and plan accordingly,” Smith told a news conference Friday, calling her “a very determined young lady.”
He said hikers should carry essentials with them and provide others with an itinerary and a 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.
She said authorities have not yet spoken in depth with the girl, but intend to gather all the facts.
