My fiancé, dog, and I were on a 2-night backcountry camping trip in Banff National Park in June. We were about 17 km in from the trailhead at our campsite on the second night. Oddly, we were the only ones there, even though the campsite had booked completely. We decided to go to bed around 9:30 PM since we had to hike out the next day.

Two guys in their early 20s woke us up about an hour later. They were yelling for help and calling it an emergency. They were part of a group of seven hiking towards this campsite via an alternative route through a mountain pass that still had thigh-deep snow. One of their group members had dislocated his knee up on the pass, and these two guys had run ahead for over an hour to get help. We decided the situation warranted the use of Search and Rescue (S&R) services, so I pulled out the ResQLink VIEW RLS and activated it in a small clearing near the campsite.

The two guys were wet, still in shorts, and lacked food or shelter, leaving everything behind with their group. Knowing S&R wouldn’t arrive until morning, we gave them food, started a fire, shared layers, and offered our tent.

In the morning, we woke up to the sound of the helicopter arriving. We provided S&R with the details before they took off to find the rest of the group. Apparently, the person with the dislocated knee had managed to pop it back into place. The group pushed through pain until 2 AM, then set up camp at the pass’s base. Rescue services airlifted the injured party member and one other group member to the hospital, while the rest of the group had to walk out.

Everyone made it out safe by the end of the day. Reminding us of the importance of preparing properly.