B.C. man lost for 5 nights in mountains near Squamish shares survival story
Stanislav Volo says he survived on gummy bears and wildflowers as he sheltered in a cave
A man who survived a grueling five nights in British Columbia's Coast Mountains is sharing more about his experience.
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who → lose → experience
Stanislav Volo became the subject of a massive search after he failed to return from a hike on Sunday after riding up the Sea-to-Sky Gondola, just south of Squamish.
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he → become → Squamish
Search and rescue crews found him Friday evening on the Indian Arm Forest Service Road after he'd descended the mountain injured, but under his own power.
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In an interview with CBC News on Saturday after being discharged from the hospital, the 43-year-old father of two was in good spirits, despite bruises and a black eye.
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“I basically relied too much on technology in this situation, and technology unfortunately sometimes fails," Volo said.
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Volo → rely → situation
Volo had intended to hike the Mount Habrich Loop, an area search and rescue crews decribed as technical, exposed alpine terrain.
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crews → intend → terrain
He said his phone died when he got to the top of the mountain, and he was unable to find his way down.
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“I was panicking," he explained.
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Volo heard what he thought was the highway, and with about four hours until the Gondola shut down for the day, decided to start descending in that direction.
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Gondola → hear → direction
It turned out to be the wrong direction — what he actually heard was pipeline construction.
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But he slipped and fell in a drainage, injuring his heel and his wrist.
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That's when he realized he wasn't able to retrace his steps.
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“I guess I have no option but to keep going down and down, slowly but surely," he explained.
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Volo said he spent several nights sheltering in a small cave near a waterfall, where he focused on recovering, trying to stay warm.
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he → say → waterfall
He said he rationed a few packages of gummy bears before he discovered a sweet-tasting wildflower to eat.
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“Maybe it's not that sweet right now if I try it, but back then it felt so sweet," he said.
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“I was like OK, if I have the plants, and I know where to stay, I have my little hut where I am hiding from the rain, I think I can wait here a few more days to get my heel back in a working state."
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He described seeing several helicopters, but was unable to get their attention.
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Eventually, he said he made the decision to climb down the mountain.
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“You have two options basically, you wait for the helicopters to come and rescue you … or you have to do something about it," he said.
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"Basically I decided to take a chance and get out of there.”
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Despite his injured foot, he slowly and painstakingly worked his way down the mountainside, eventually intersecting first with a river, then a road.
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he → injure → road
He ran into a construction worker who connected him with the search and rescue crews who were already in the area.
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“It was such a joy and such an amazing feeling of being there, and just tears of happiness were running down my face," he said.
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he → run → face
He walked out on the road on his two feet'
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"We found him," she told CBC on Friday.
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she → find → Friday
"He walked out on the road on his two feet."
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She eventually went to see her brother in hospital, where she connected him with CBC News.
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she → go → News
He celebrated by eating pizza, calling it "very tasty."
Squamish Search and Rescue search manager Tyler Duncan said was it is "remarkable" Volo survived.
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He said Volo descended the back side of the mountain, a route that involved steep, technical terrain.
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Duncan said it was one of the most "involved" searches he had been a part of in his 15 years in search and rescue.
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he → say → search
It must have been an absolutely horrendous experience for him," Duncan said.
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"I would absolutely love to sit down with Stas and have a good conversation about what he has been up to for the last six days," Duncan added.
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"It's got to be a remarkable story."
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Now back in Squamish and recovering with his family, Volo was effusive in his thanks to search crews and everyone that helped look for him.
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He added that he's learned plenty of lessons and hopes sharing his story will help others.
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"It can happen to anyone," he said.
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"You never know what is going to happen."
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