Cub Scout group comes to the aid of 3 unprepared hikers in B.C.'s Golden Ears Provincial Park

A group of young Cub Scouts came to the aid of three unprepared hikers in B.C.'s Golden Ears Provincial Park over the weekend amid torrential rain.

On Saturday, a group of 10 Cub Scouts were camping in the popular park in Metro Vancouver's Tri-Cities area when eight of them decided to go on a hike around midday along the West Canyon Trail.

When on the hike, scout leader Luke Lunnin said they encountered a washed-out river and bridge — and three teenagers on the other side shouting frantically.

He said the elementary schoolers threw supplies to the teenage hikers, who were unprepared for the heavy rain and cold conditions.

Rescuers said the Cub Scouts' actions helped them as they mounted a rescue effort that day, and say the case is a reminder of the need to be prepared when hiking in the backcountry.

Lunnin said he called 911 from his phone to help the hikers, who had fleece sweaters on and no rain gear, despite heavy rain.

"What we ended up doing is coming up with some rations from the kids to give to the guys and just tied it to a rock — some thermal blankets, hot paws, whatever we had with us, some trail mix," he told CBC News.

"They seemed pretty grateful because, yeah, as soon as they got that stuff, they threw it on and started munching away."

Rick Laing with Ridge Meadows Search and Rescue said in an interview that the three teenagers were not prepared for the conditions, something all hikers should take into account before they set off for the day.

"I believe one of them had pyjama bottoms on. They had very, very light packs with minimal food in it and pretty much no rain gear," he said.

"If they had not got a signal out for assistance they would have [had] a very cold, cold, uncomfortable night," Laing added. "One of them was so cold it's possible he could have succumbed to hypothermia by the next morning."

Kyle Lee, 17, one of the three hikers who made the ill-fated trip, admitted his group was unprepared for the conditions.

He told CBC News that seeing the group of young Cub Scouts gave him a lot of hope.

"We're just so happy that we found them. And then we're just really grateful that they were there," he said.