21-year-old woman found dead after getting lost while snowshoeing in B.C.'s North Shore Mountains
A 21-year-old woman who went missing Thursday after she went snowshoeing in B.C.'s North Shore Mountains has been found dead.
CBC has identified her as Nikki Donnelly of Ontario based on information provided by rescue officials and social media accounts.
Donnelly posted a short video Thursday afternoon on Instagram from atop St. Mark's Summit, a popular hiking spot north of Vancouver, that documented the picturesque ocean view.
Shortly after, the young woman, who was visiting B.C. from Ontario, made her way back down the Howe Sound Crest Trail, according to officials with North Shore Rescue.
She soon called her boyfriend in Toronto to tell him she was lost and in distress before the call dropped.
The woman's disappearance set off an 18-hour search that ended with rescue crews discovering her body Friday morning, at about 10:40 a.m. PT, in a steep drainage area below the summit.
The crew flew the woman by helicopter back to their rescue base, where she was pronounced dead.
"Our thoughts are with the woman's family and friends, as well with all the responders and search teams to the St. Mark's area last night and today," Sgt. Sascha Banks with Squamish RCMP said in a statement.
The police did not identify the woman, but rescue officials referred to her by her first name, Nikki, and noted she had posted a video from the summit.
WATCH | Hiker posts video atop St. Mark's Summit before going missing:
Called boyfriend several times
Crews were called to look for Donnelly round 5 p.m. PT Thursday, but despite an all-night search with two helicopters and night-vision equipment, she was not found overnight.
North Shore Rescue team leader Mike Danks said fresh search teams returned to the area at first light on Friday to look for any signs of the woman or possible tracks off the trail.
The St. Mark's Summit hike is part of the Howe Sound Crest Trail, a 28-kilometre trail that winds through the mountaintops north of Vancouver.
The hike typically takes four to five hours round-trip and leads hikers to a peak with a view of the ocean and islands.
Danks said the woman called her boyfriend when she reached St. Mark's Summit. She phoned him again on her way down, and shortly after made the final distress call that dropped.
Snowshoer unlikely prepared to spend the night
Rescue crews said Donnelly was likely out for a day trip and was probably unprepared to spend the night on the mountain. There was a "significant" amount of snow, and windy, rainy weather had wiped out searchers' tracks.
Danks said the only indication that the woman was on the mountain was from the video she took and her registered rental car still parked in the Cypress Mountain parking lot.
Her cellphone was most recently pinged at 3:30 p.m. PT Thursday. Based on the ping, Danks said, crews reasoned the woman was on the east side of the peak, where her body was later found.
RCMP on Friday urged anyone who is in need of help while exploring remote areas to call 911.
"As well, before you leave, please: research your area, take all the equipment you need, know your skill level, follow weather patterns, know snow conditions, and have a trip plan," Banks said.
Squamish RCMP will work with the BC Coroners Service to investigate the woman's death.
