Two hikers had to be rescued and treated for exhaustion after they left the Cape Split hiking trail to explore Nova Scotia’s Amethyst Cove on Saturday evening.
The 23-year-old woman from Dieppe, New Brunswick, and the 30-year-old man from Halifax were unfamiliar with the area, and had no idea that you have to climb back out of the steep and rocky spot with ropes.
When the couple got halfway up the 106 metre climb, they were too tired to continue. It was just before 7 p.m. when they called for help.
“Luckily they had a cell phone,” Const. Tammy Lobb told CBC News.
According to reports, the two were eventually pulled to safety by a high angle rescue team, which was made up of firefighters from the nearby Canning, New Minas, and Waterville fire departments.
Although the two were not injured, paramedics who were called to the scene did treat them for exhaustion.
It’s just one of many incidents on Cape Split this summer. Earlier this month, a woman was seriously injured after she fell off the cliff while trying to rescue her two dogs. In May, two men had to be rescued by a helicopter after repelling down the cliff and getting stranded.
Although rescue efforts were successful in both of these cases, Jeff Skaling, deputy chief of the Canning Volunteer Fire Department, told CBC that it’s a dangerous job and can take several hours to complete a rescue.
“The trail is rough enough that going on all-terrain vehicles, with the gear we have to carry, we have to go pretty slow,” Skaling said. “You’re looking at almost two hours before any rescue personnel can make it out to the Split.”
That’s one reason members of the Canning fire department are calling for more warning signs along the trail. Although there is a sign at the beginning of the trail to Cape Split, there are none along it, or even at the end where the cliff drops down to the water below.
“Out here, forgetting the rules or ignoring the rules can lead to some tragic results,” Skaling said.
