Esther Wang, B.C, Canada teen hiker found after emerging in Golden Ears Park following 54 hour search for missing hiker.
How to cheat death. A 16-year-old girl who went missing after taking a wrong turn during a hiking trek in the Canadian wilderness was found safe following a 54-hour search, officials said.
Esther Wang who had gone treking with a youth group of three others was found in Golden Ears Park in British Columbia, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Friday.
‘She is healthy, she is happy and she is with family,’ RCMP Superintendent Wendy Mehat said in a statement.
How did teen become separated from hiking group?
Wang who was part of a hiking group became separated while navigating the East Canyon trail around 3 p.m. on Tuesday, officials said. The teen who had taken a wrong turn suddenly found herself on her own and beyond earshot of her collective.
The group was making their way to their campsite when they discovered Wang was missing. After trying to find her on their own they contacted police and a park ranger for help.
Sixteen teams were deployed in the intensive search for Wang over the two days she was missing.
Wang was found around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday night when she walked back out onto the same trail where she had lost her way.
A medical team assessed her at the scene, and she was released to her family the same evening, according to RCMP.
Wang who had lost her bearings after taking a wrong turn going down mountain was able to eventually make her way back to safety after going back up the mountain off-trail and finding a place to rest, Staff Sgt. Keith Schendel told City News.
With a supply of food and water, the missing teen girl spent two nights on the mountain before following a waterway that led her back to the trail.
Officials had yet to completely understand how the teen became separated from the group and what safety recourse had been in place during the hike.
Safety protocol
Wang according to officials had no serious injuries save for mosquito bites.
‘She’s fine, just extremely fatigued and sore, bitten by mosquitoes. So she’s going to be taking some time to rest and then we’ll figure out in more detail exactly where the wrong turns were taken and all that kind of stuff,’ Schendel said.
Ryan Smith, a team manager with the Ridge Meadows Search and Rescue (RMSR), told TrendyDigest that the area where the teen went missing is used for recreational hiking.
‘Areas off the hiking trails can be treacherous with steep terrain and thick vegetation,’ Smith said.
The park is also home to wildlife such as bears, cougars and deer, which can pose a threat to visitors who are not prepared or aware of their surroundings.
Ridge Meadows RCMP offers the following tips for hikers
Inform a friend or family member of where you will be hiking; stay with the group; carry adequate supplies and wear appropriate clothing and footwear, as per Trendy Digest.
