Halifax District RCMP officers, Police Service Dog(PSD) Baylee, and Halifax Ground Search and Rescue (GSAR) rescued two stranded hikers on the Bluff Wilderness Hiking Trail in Timberlea early this morning.

At approximately 8:15 p.m. last evening, Halifax District RCMP responded to a 911 call from two lost hikers on the Bluff Wilderness Hiking Trail in Timberlea. Preliminary investigation determined that a 30-year-old woman from Halifax and a 26-year-old woman from Sydney departed the parking lot of the wilderness trail at approximately 4:30 p.m. and intended to do the first loop of the four-loop trail system. As darkness settled in, the hikers realized they had gone far beyond the first loop and could not negotiate their way back through the rugged and unfamiliar terrain.

RCMP officers pinged the hikers’ cell phones to determine their exact location, and Police Service Dog Baylee, her RCMP handler, and another RCMP officer set out to find the hikers in complete darkness. Just after 11 p.m., the officers and PSD Baylee located the hikers, who were located approximately 11 kilometres into the woods. Halifax GSAR were also on scene, and dispatched a boat to pick up the hikers and ferry them across a lake and back to the entrance of the trail.

The hikers and rescuers finally reached the safety of the parking lot at approximately 2:45 a.m. Other than being tired and hungry, the hikers did not sustain any injuries and were in good health, thanks to the collaborative efforts of the officers, PSD Baylee, and Halifax Ground Search and Rescue.

Source: Release