Family thanks police, park staff after being lost in Elk Island for hours

Amanda Wert and her three young children were rescued by Air One Saturday after getting lost during a day out at Elk Island National Park.

Wert said they got to the park around 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 13, and started their hike around 2 p.m.

"We were just going for a stroll, just taking the kids out… needed fresh air, they were sick of being cooped up in the house."

They walked for a few hours, and around 4:30 p.m. Wert said she realized they were lost.

"I picked up my cell phone and I tried to text my husband, and I realized at that point I had no cell signal."

Wert said they stayed on the same trail and kept walking, and when she finally found service her phone battery had dropped from 80 per cent to 20 per cent full.

She had been trying to use GPS on her phone to find the road and realized that was draining her battery.

"I was more worried about finding a road than how much my battery would be affected by GPS," Wert said.

She eventually got a few phone calls out to her husband, but each one was short because her phone kept dying. Wert also managed to send her husband a pin of where she was, but it was only an approximate location because her phone didn't have enough battery power.

"We kept walking, we walked at a snail's pace," said Wert. "Our goal was to walk to stay warm."

Wert said she was glad she had prepared for the hike, with snacks for the kids and warm clothing for all four of them. Along with walking to stay warm, the family sang songs as loud as they could to keep animals away and potentially alert someone to their location.

Police began searching around 8:30 p.m., with EPS Air One flying over the park searching for the family. A timestamp on the Air One footage shows it was after 9:45 p.m. by the time they found Wert and her children on the trail.

The family was approximately four kilometres away from where they were believed to be, and Air One directed searchers on the ground to their location.

"A thank you to everyone that was there to help find us, a big relief, they played such an important role in helping us," said Wert.

'PLANNING IS KEY'

"Preparedness and planning is key," said Elk Island National Park superintendent Dale Kirkland.

"It's critical to be aware of extra hazards such as cold temperatures and winter storms, and especially short daylight hours."

Kirkland said the park has trail maps and guides available online to help hikers plan their day so they're prepared in case of an emergency.

Hikers should also check the trail conditions before visiting the park, said Kirkland.

Visitation has increased at the park over the last 5 years, from about 360,000 to over 530,000 people per year, said Kirkland. On average Elk Island National Park staff respond to about seven on the ground search and rescues.

"While multiple search and rescues occur at the park every year, we stress that proper preparation and trip planning can help reduce the number of these occurrences."

He said the last time Air One helped with a park rescue was in the fall of 2020.

• EPS Air 1 helps rescue lost hiker at Elk Island

"It is safe, but it's very easy to get disoriented," said Wert. "You might get mixed up with trails that are human versus trails that are packed down by animals, I found that the most confusing."

Wert says the experience won't deter her family from hiking in the future, but she knows what adjustments she needs to make to her trail pack.

"It's good to be outside, especially with the last few years we've had, being cooped up inside, kids need fresh air."