Emergency responders urge caution when pursuing a pet that has run off into the bush after a woman in flip-flops and shorts was recently stranded overnight in the West Country several kilometres from the search area.
A search and rescue effort ensued when a 29-year-old Red Deer-area woman did not return to her family’s campsite after forging into the forest on July 20 in an attempt to retrieve her dogs — a cocker spaniel and a beagle — that had run off, said the Sundre RCMP detachment’s Cpl. Joe Mandel.
Someone in such a situation might attempt to go after the animal without first thinking about his or her own safety, and “by the time you realize you’re in trouble, you’re in deep,” said Roger Tetreault, president of the Sundre Search and Rescue Society.
“If you’re going to spend time in the bush, be prepared to spend at least overnight,” said Tetreault.
When found the next morning, the woman had been missing for about 16 hours and travelled some six kilometres in a straight line, but undoubtedly much farther when accounting for all the zigs and zags involved along the trek through the technical terrain, he said.
“That was a pretty brave hike in flip-flops.”
Except for some scratches from scrambling through the bush in shorts and flip-flops, the woman was found the next morning otherwise unharmed.
Sundre RCMP were dispatched at around 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 20 for a report of a missing female in the forested area southwest of town, said Mandel.
RCMP Air Services, Sundre Search and Rescue as well as Red Deer Police Dog Service were called to assist the local detachment’s member in the search. At about 10 p.m. that evening, Sundre Search and Rescue was activated, with volunteers mobilizing to assist with the operation, he said.
During their search, air services determined that there were a number of bears in the area as well as some cliff-like terrain that made searching in the darkness dangerous, said police.
Tetreault, who is also one of the society’s two active search managers, oversaw the volunteer organization’s operation that evening.
At the time enjoying a barbecue with some friends when the call for help was reported, Tetreault said the initial group of four search and rescue volunteers arrived at around midnight, by which point one of the dogs had already returned to the family’s campsite.
“We were based at kilometre 22 on Forestry Trunk Road,” he said.
In the near total absence of light, the family and volunteers attempted to holler from the road in the hopes their shouts would catch her attention and guide her back, he said.
By the time the Red Deer Police Dog Service arrived at the scene, the area had been too contaminated by the family’s efforts to find her for a track to be possible, he said, adding the decision was then made to wait until daylight.
A police chopper was in the air by about 5:30 a.m., he said, adding that reports of grizzlies in the area kept search efforts along the road, where volunteers honked and called out her name as they slowly drove along in an attempt to attract her attention.
“We were trying to get her to come to us.”
Given the difficult terrain, which lacked anything resembling passable trails, “that was our best course of action,” he said.
Although the woman had heard the attempts to get her attention, the echoes made determining the direction to go basically impossible. Meanwhile, her attempts to shout back were drowned out, he said.
A local grazing operator who was in the area on horseback offered assistance, and was sent on a long shot to the Eagle Lake trail. At about 8 a.m., the rancher was unloading his horse when the woman and the second dog emerged from the bush walking towards a section of the Forestry Trunk Road, he said.
Although a second team from Sundre Search and Rescue was ready to deploy — and neighbouring organizations from Didsbury and Rocky Mountain House were about to be called for assistance — they were stood down once she was found, he said.
While this situation was resolved with a positive outcome, it could have been a lot worse, and the corporal encourages campers who bring their pets to seriously consider keeping them tied up or at the very least under close watch.
After all, dogs will be dogs, and out in the backcountry, the animals might easily be tempted by sheer instinct to chase after wildlife into the forest, potentially even drawing back to camp predators such as bears, several of which had been spotted in the area, said Mandel.
“People tend to not realize that we aren’t at the top of the food chain once we’re out there (in the bush),” he said.
“People need to use common sense when they’re out there,” he said.
“You can take your animals out for sure, but be responsible with them.”
When heading out into grizzly habitat, having bear spray is “definitely an advantage,” and campers should always dress for the conditions, be sure to have sufficient food and water as well as refrain from wandering away from the camp, he said.
Considering the substantial drop in temperature overnight and the fact that the woman was only wearing shorts, a hoodie and flip-flips, “she would have had a very uncomfortable night,” he said.
Tetreault also reminds backcountry recreational users who lose their way to stay put.
“She travelled way farther than we expected in that short period of time,” he said.
Refraining from wandering deeper into the bush is important because someone who is lost might merely end up far away from where searchers are looking, he said.
“We weren’t expecting her to travel six kilometres over that kind of rugged terrain — that was a feat, especially in flip-flops.”
Additionally, campers and hikers should be sure to inform friends and family of travel plans, including locations and times. Especially anyone heading out on motorized vehicles such as dirt bikes, he said, referring to another successful search effort the weekend before when a group of youth from the Olds area got lost.
“They can cover greater distance. It’s tougher to look for someone who could have gone off in any direction a great distance.”
Tetreault said search and rescue volunteers have an innate desire to lend a hand to help others in their time of need, and members hope that situations reversed, their efforts would be reciprocated.
“It’s human nature to help one another.”
A few precautions are all that is needed to have fun and enjoy the West Country safely, he said.
Les Larson, a director with Sundre Search and Rescue as well as a team lead, additionally suggests including a whistle in one’s emergency kit.
“If you’re lost, it takes so little effort to blow a whistle, but a lot of energy and effort to shout and cry out,” said Larson.
