A pair of hunters, including a 71-year-old, are safe after spending a cold night stuck in the wilderness of the British Columbia Interior.
Robert Driver, 71, and his 60-year-old friend, Wayne Camille, were in an area near Monte Lake, southeast of Kamloops, on Friday hunting moose when Driver’s truck became stuck in the snow on a remote mountain-top road.
Driver said the pair tried twice to make it out of the area on their own, but the deep snow combined with Camille’s health made that impossible.
“I was never scared, because I would fight a bear with a knife, but I was worried because of the guy I was with, he had bad arthritis,” said Driver.
They were reported missing when they didn’t return and a search was launched.
An air search-and-rescue volunteer spotted the pair’s truck Saturday afternoon, and an RCMP helicopter arrived soon after.
“I’m the type of guy that I don’t like flying, but I couldn’t get in that helicopter fast enough,” said Driver.
Alen Hobler with Kamloops Search And Rescue said the men were cold and shaken, but otherwise OK.
“They were very exuberant that we were able to locate them and rescue them,” said Hobler. “When we got them back down to the highway, they were absolutely ecstatic to be out of their predicament.”
Driver said his daughter is now urging him to use GPS navigation the next time he’s out in the woods.
“My daughter is already taking about GPS, so I guess the next time I go out I’ll be all wired up,” he said.