Mainland-based search and rescue team spends night on Vancouver Island after rescue

North Shore Rescue posted on its Facebook page shortly after 6 p.m. Saturday that its helicopter team was responding to a mutual aid call on Vancouver Island. (Facebook/North Shore Rescue)

Vancouver -

A search and rescue crew from the Lower Mainland helped retrieve a pair of climbers who had become stranded on a ridge in Strathcona Provincial Park Saturday night.

North Shore Rescue posted on its Facebook page shortly after 6 p.m. Saturday that its helicopter team was responding to a mutual aid call on Vancouver Island. 

In a follow-up post, the search and rescue team shared details and photos from the rescue, saying crews were able to long-line the two climbers off the ridge just below the summit of Golden Hinde.

The rescue organization did not say how the climbers became stranded or whether they had suffered any injuries. The ridge the pair were stuck on is approximately 2,100 metres high, according to North Shore Rescue.

Because the rescue happened just before sunset, the helicopter crew was unable to fly back to Metro Vancouver before dark.

Instead, team members landed at Campbell River airport and spent the night at the homes of local search and rescue team members.

"We would like to sincerely thank Campbell River (Search and Rescue) members for taking us into their homes at late notice and making us feel welcome," North Shore Rescue said in its post.