The beauty of having nature at your doorstep is that you’re surrounded by it 24/7. In western Canada, there’s plenty of sprawling dark green forests that reach the foothills of the mountains and become the backdrop of everyday life. As a kid who grew up in the city (and who still loves the city), I know all too well how much of a reprieve it can be to get out into the big outdoors. And don’t even get me started about the air. No air breathes as well as fresh forest air!
But, it’s with some of the most amazing things about being in nature – solitude, untouched beauty, fewer people, zero pollution, nil cars – that also poses the biggest dangers.
Annette Poitras from Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada, is known around the small town for her excellent dog walking skills. People know the kind woman very well and trust her immensely with their dogs. It was on one particular day, however, after she set out on her normal routine with three of the neighborhood dogs, that the community knew that something wasn’t right. She had been gone much longer than usual and she wasn’t picking up her phone.
The woman and dogs set off for a hike through the immense woods, a favourite spot of hers that she and the dogs enjoy. Everything was normal, but after two hours of hiking in the tranquil forest away from civilization, Annette slipped on a log and injured her leg, rendering her immobile and unable to get up. To add insult to injury, somewhere around the moment she fell, Annette also lost her cell phone.
Annette and the dogs, Roxy, Bubba, and Chloe couldn’t do anything but wait. According to Annette’s husband, Marcel Poitras, without the dogs, it’s hard to know if Anette would have survived the three days it took to find the missing party. The pups were able to share warmth, and provide some instinctual tricks to survive the cold and damp weather. “She just basically went on instinct and watched the dogs and kinda did some of the same things,” he said. “The [forest] overburden soaks up the water [so] moving that out of the way, she got down in the dirt where it’s actually a little warmer and just basically hunkered down and waited for help.”
It was three long, hard days until she was found. “She was lying on the ground,” said Darren Timmer, leader of the Coquitlam Search and Rescue team. “She could not get up, but she could wave her hand to get our attention. The dogs were very excited that we were there. We heard them from a distance.” They all suffered through the trauma but there were no life-threatening injuries to the dogs or Annette. Everyone has recovered since.
Click on the video below to learn more of this harrowing story with a happy ending.
