Helicopter sent to rescue stranded campers north of Coquitlam Mountain

COQUITLAM (NEWS 1130) — A helicopter was sent to a remote area north of Coquitlam Mountain on Friday to retrieve 17 stranded campers, according to search and rescue members.

The campers flew into the location on a floatplane, but a pickup was impossible due to bad weather, says a tweet from Coquitlam Search and Rescue.

“Running out of supplies they made the difficult decision to call for help,” says the tweet.

Rescue crews described the situation as not “urgent,” and no one was injured.

Messages posted on social media by the rescue team say the 17 were stranded at Widgeon Lake. The area is a popular hiking destination west of Pitt Lake, north of Coquitlam.

“Widgeon Lake is a high mountain lake and like Burke Mountain, is in the Coquitlam Range and is a part of Pinecone Burke Provincial Park,” according to Coquitlam Search and Rescue,

“The area is usually accessed via canoe from the Grant Narrows boat launch in Pitt Meadows. The area can also be accessed over land from Burke Mountain, or along Quarry Road through the Widgeon Marsh Regional Reserve property. The hike to Widgeon lake is challenging.”

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