Robin Levinson
Rating: ***
This weekend’s edition of the Ottawa Citizen had a very good article to
remind people of the dangers of winter. On one hand, the reporter was telling
the news; one the other hand, the reporter was also making a statement to
remind readers of the many dangers winter activities.
The article covered the story of two
couples who had gone hiking in Gatineau Park on Thursday, December 27th
(the day of the last big snowfall). The
couples must have become separated, because when an off-duty rescue worker came
across one of the couples in the parking lot, they told him that their friends
had gotten lost hiking on the Wolf Loop, trail No. 62. Adrian Beaudin, a member
of the volunteer group Search and Rescue Global 1, had been snowshoeing with a
friend when they came across the couple in the parking lot. He and his friend set off to find the lost
couple. He knew how difficult it could
be to read the trails this time of year.
They found the couple at 12:30am – the man was injured and the woman was
experiencing the effects of hypothermia.
Adrian radioed for help and stayed with the couple, too cold and injured
to go on, until help could arrive. He kept talking to them to help keep them
calm.
Reading this article brings to mind some of
the basic survival/preparedness tips that we have been learning in class. First and foremost, the couples should really
have check the weather conditions before heading out on a hike that day – it
was a very stormy day to begin with.
Secondly, they should have been more prepared in case something did go
wrong with their hike. They did not seem to have any way to communicate with
anyone that they were lost and in trouble.
They also did not have any basic survival equipment with them to help
keep warm. Finally, after having gone
cross-country skiing today with my family, I can easily see how people can
become confused about the trails, even on a clear sunny day like today. In the end, the lesson told: know your
weather conditions, be prepared and know the area you are going to!
Levinson, Robin. ” Hurt, chilled pair found
on remote trial – Rescuers track down man, woman in Gatineau Park after
midnight”, The Ottawa Citizen,
Saturday, December 29, 2012, E1-2, Print
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