Skip to content

Arrowsmith Search and Rescue called to find lost mushroom picker

'He did most things right,' said SAR volunteer Barry Blair

A local man in his late 30s was cold but able to walk out of the forrest in Coombs the morning of Oct. 21 after 18 hours.

"We were called out at two this morning to look for a mushroom picker that had gotten lost," said Arrowsmith Search and Rescue volunteer Barry Blair.

Close to 20 members were called out to the wilderness area at the end of Station Road to help the man who'd gone out alone around noon the previous day. "He did quite a few things right," Blair said. "He had a cell phone with him, he was able to contact the RCMP, or maybe his family who contacted the RCMP. We were in voice contact with him for the duration of the search. He also had a flashlight which really helped us find him and he stayed basically in the same place, he did most things right."

Blair said he didn't know what had gone wrong, guessing he may have gotten turned around. He believed the man was from the area, having walked in. He was located within a couple hours "mildly hypothermic," but able to walk much of the way out with ASR members, riding on a quad for some of it. The man was examined by a knowledgeable ASR member and an ambulance crew back at the road but not taken to hospital.

"He was very gracious and appreciative of our services and that doesn't always happen," he said.