A distressing number of adventure seekers who ventured into the mountains or headed out on the water near Vancouver this spring and summer haven’t made it home safely.

In each case, volunteers with local search teams responded. While most of their missions end successfully, in the last few months there have been some tragic outcomes.

“We’ve had some very, very serious calls with slips and falls in the spring, and then in the summer with head injuries, cardiac calls … and a fatal drowning,” said John Blown, who has been with North Shore Rescue for 23 years.

“I don’t recall a time where, like in the last four months, we’ve had so many fatalities, whether through our team or through our mutual aid partners.”

His team’s call volume so far in 2025 isn’t necessarily higher than in previous y

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