Photo: VSAR

It took until the wee hours of the morning, but Vernon Search and Rescue located a pair of stranded campers.

It took until the wee hours of the morning, but Vernon Search and Rescue located a pair of stranded campers.

At 10:30 p.m. Sunday night, VSAR was asked by the Vernon RCMP to locate and rescue two missing campers.

“The two individuals from Salmon Arm had planned to camp overnight near the north end of Mabel Lake, and had not come home when expected. Concerned family spent the day searching for them before calling 911 for help,” said a post on the VSAR Facebook page.

Volunteer ground teams began searching possible areas, and mutual aid was provided by Revelstoke Search and Rescue.

“Around 2:30 a.m. the two were located, cold but otherwise in good condition. Their truck had broken down, no cell coverage was available and they had been walking out of the mountains,” the post said.

VSAR is reminding the public of a few important points:

• Always important to leave your itinerary with family or friends when heading into the backcountry
• Search and rescue services are free and families should request help sooner rather than later whenever possible
• It always makes good sense to take a satellite communication device into areas with poor or non-existent cell coverage just in case of an accident.

For more backcountry tips, check out AdventureSmart.ca.