He was wet, cold and exhausted, but a Kelowna man is OK after being rescued from a remote area between Myra Canyon and KLO Creek Regional Park after spending a frigid night in the desert. Ed Henczel with Central Okanagan Search and Rescue told Castanet they made contact with the man’s girlfriend Sunday afternoon when the man in his 30s failed to return to his home. He had set out for a walk in the Angel Spring area, but seems to have wandered off the trail. COSAR activated 15 members around dusk, including a ground, dog and e-bike team, who continued the search until about 2am. At first light, COSAR resumed the search, assisted by crew members from Vernon Search and Rescue and Penticton Search and Rescue. “In the interim, the gentleman had gone hiking where he could – his cell phone was dying – he went where he could get a text message and sent his coordinates,” Henczel said. “It was a long way up KLO Creek, way off the beaten path.” A ground team went in and found the man around 11:30am. He was airlifted thanks to the PenSAR helicopter rescue team. The bicyclist was checked over by BC EHS paramedics, and other than being cold and tired, was uninjured and released. This was the second time this year that COSAR has been called to find someone lost in the Myra Canyon area and the 12th rescue in the area. Everything else was for injured hikers and cyclists. “COSAR would like to remind adventurers, don’t go it alone and pack ten essentials. He had a cold, cold night and all he needed was a lighter and some vegetation to start the fire and I guarantee his night would be a lot more fun,” added Henczel.
