Hope Volunteer Search and Rescue

Hope SAR members had lots of fun today at the Brigade Days parade. It was a beautiful day and the streets were well lined with people.

Thank you to Kaja at Advantage Hope for the amazing pictures

Did you know that the Fraser River is the longest river in BC, stretching from the headwaters in the Rocky Mountains to the Strait of Georgia? We recently had a few of our members go through a boat operator and safety course, ensuring we maintain our ability to respond to calls on the Fraser. Huge shoutout to for teaching us how to stay safe on the water! Photo credit

Hope SAR responded to another call today on the Markhor to Needle traverse. To begin, we'd like to acknowledge that the hikers who called for help were well prepared, called when they knew they were in trouble and stayed put until we arrived. We are always happy when people understand their limitations and trust their instincts. Our team was able to access them by hover exit with the help of Valley Helicopters.

We would like to emphasize again that this route is technical and has a good amount of exposure. It has sections that are classified as class 3 to class 4. If you don't know what that means, you probably should not attempt it.

We understand that many of our favorite mountains on the Coq are closed now due to the approaching wildfire, but the Needle ridge and Flatiron are equally beautiful places if you're looking for options in the area. You can get to the junction and choose your comfort level. We also recommend Illal Meadows with the option of Jim Kelly if you're looking for something a little more difficult in the area (easy FSR access behind Needle/Markhor).

And, as always, we strongly recommend that if anyone posts reviews of mountains that are considered scrambles that they include a brief description of the difficulty and skill level required for the route. If you're looking for new places to explore, always research various sources of information and judge accordingly.

We imagine you may not be on the trails today in this smoke, so why don't you come on down to the Hope RCMP detachment, enjoy a BBQ and chat with us about staying safe in the backcountry.

Bring you day bag and we can evaluate your supplies and make recommendations.

Check out the other service providers who are here as well and get a tour of the jail 😳.

We are heartbroken to hear of the passing of a fellow SAR member this weekend. Mike Coyle of Coquitlam SAR leaves a legacy of SAR service after 27 years with his team. Our deepest thoughts are with his family and fellow teammates as they struggle with this sudden loss.

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Hope SAR was tasked out last night to rescue three stranded rafters on the Skagit River. After determining that there were no injuries, the subjects had started a fire, and that access by land was through dense brush, it was decided that a morning helicopter extraction was the best plan.

The subjects were in good spirits this morning. Their fire was extinguished and the rafters were returned to their camp at Ross lake.

The Skagit River is not in good shape for rafting right now. This is the third call Hope SAR has received this summer for rafting issues on the Skagit. These subjects had already portaged around two other problems on the river since setting off that day, but were met with a massive log jam that could not be crossed. They were able to bushwhacked to the sandbar we picked them up on but land access to the road can be quite far in places like this and the terrain is nearly impassable.

We acknowledge that the trio had essentials with them that allowed them to call for help in a no-cell-service area and to keep themselves warm and safe during the night. They attempted a self-rescue but called for help when they realized they were in trouble and this is exactly what we recommend.

We do not recommend rafting on the Skagit River.

Hope SAR was tasked out last night to assist with delivering evacuation notices to the residents of Boston Bar.

We have nothing more to offer than encouragement and hope to the people who live up the Canyon and are experiencing numerous early season wildfires of note this year.

We sincerely hope for winds to calm or change direction, for strength and wisdom for the wildland firefighters and for protection of infrastructure from these devastating events.

Yesterday evening, Hope SAR was tasked out to rescue an injured hiker on the Hope Lookout trail. This was one of those ankle injuries that can happen to the best of us, a misstep, unexpectedly uneven terrain, downhill fatigue, there are many ways a person can sustain an ankle injury.

As always, a call for SAR is free of charge. We are always happy to get you safely off the trail. With a crew of 11 members, the basket carry went smoothly and we made it out before dark.

We wish our subject a speedy recovery (and hopefully no one's mosquito bites kept them up all night because they are vicious this year).

This is the final weekend to apply. If you're interested in being a part of an amazing team that feels like family, while also making a life changing impact on people's lives, don't miss your opportunity. Go to HopeSAR.ca to submit your application. We're excited to hear from you.