Search teams call in helicopter for injured hiker near Port Renfrew

Back-to-back hiker calls kept Juan de Fuca Search and Rescue and its partner organizations busy Friday afternoon, June 14, 2024. Around 3:30 p.m., the team headed out for three lost hikers north of Bear Beach on the Juan de Fuca Trail; en route, a second call came in for a hiker with a back injury just south of Botanical Beach. The team split its efforts, sending one crew toward the lost hikers and requesting Port Renfrew Volunteer Fire Department attend the injured-hiker call with a second SAR team close behind. In a post-incident report, Juan de Fuca SAR said team one made successful contact with the lost hikers and guided them back to the command post, praising them for staying in place and calling for help; the second team called in helicopter support for the injured hiker, who was transferred to a waiting ambulance. Juan de Fuca SAR thanked partners including Port Renfrew fire, the Alberni Valley Search and Rescue hoist team, RCM SAR 37 (Sooke), and Ascent Helicopters.