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A hiker trying to climb Mount Fromme in Canada had to be rescued after Google Maps led him to a "non-existent trail" on the mountain.
North Shore Rescue Search Manager Dave Barnett told the Vancouver CityNews that the hiker found himself stranded in an area he was not prepared to hike. There were no marked trails, and the area was covered with trees. As the hiker attempted to scale the mountain, he found himself stuck on the steep incline, unable to go up or down.
North Shore Rescue dispatched a helicopter, but they could not find him due to the density of the trees. Officials decided to lower two two rescue technicians onto the mountain so they could search for the man.
The rescue workers used a roped belay to scale the steep terrain and eventually found the man. They managed to get him to an area where he could be extracted by the helicopter.
"We safely extracted this fellow by helicopter," Barnett said. "He was stuck on the side of a cliff. He couldn't go up, and he couldn't go down. So we knew it was going to be a helicopter extraction just based on the location."
Luckily, the hiker was unharmed during the ordeal.
"The fellow was a little bit shaken up but otherwise unharmed and safe," Barnett said.
Barnett urged hikers planning to scale Mount Fromme to ensure they are prepared for the conditions and advised them not to use apps like Google Maps to plan their hike.
"Specifically to this area, we discourage people from following street maps for navigation. There are errors in this area from one of them; it shows that what looks like a trail in this very dangerous terrain. It's not a trail at all. We've been working with Google Maps to have that line erased."