Two men were found safe near Jordan River on Monday after they went off-roading over the weekend and didn’t return home.

The two carpenters from Victoria set off on Sunday and were last seen in Metchosin.

Mitch Macrae and Olev Anniko say they were at the end of the Bear Creek Reservoir, trying to get to Butler Main Rd., when the back wheel of their pick-up truck got stuck in mud near an embankment.

They tried digging the vehicle out until about 2 a.m. Monday, but were unsuccessful.

With no cellphone reception, the pair decided to get some sleep.

“We weren’t too worried at any point in there, we weren’t stressed at all,” said Anniko.

Around 1 p.m. Monday they managed to flag a person down to help.

The duo was found just as search and rescue crews set out to look for them. 

The men say they’re overwhelmed about the big response and the next time they go off-roading they’ll be more equipped with things like a winch and some food.

“It’s pretty remarkable the effort that went in and I feel very fortunate that this many people care,” said Anniko.