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Two hikers have been rescued after getting stranded near the summit of Eagle Mountain, also known as Mt. Beautiful, north of Coquitlam.

According to Michael Coyle of Coquitlam Search and Rescue (SAR), the hikers called for help shortly after reaching the peak, when the trek back down the mountain became too dangerous.

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“What we think happened is they went up, they got into the snow, and they proceeded over the summit,” he said, “and as they were going down the other side it got too steep and they got frightened because how slippery it was.”

The hikers were unable to give their precise location, but SAR was able to ping their phone. A helicopter landed at the summit, and rescuers climbed down to the hikers. They were not injured, just cold, Coyle said, and grateful that they didn’t have to spend the night on the mountain.

Coyle said the trek from Buntzen Lake to the summit has more snow and ice right now than some hikers expect.

“There’s a lot of snow, the trail markers are underneath the snow, (and) people are following each other’s tracks,” he said.

He also offered some handy hiking advice: wear the right footwear.

“If you’re going for a hike and you’ve got runners, and you reach the snow, you’ve gotta think to yourself, ‘maybe I should turn around.'”

hmooney@postmedia.com

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