RCMP say Fiona damage led 81-year-old fisherman to get lost

A 81-year-old man was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries Saturday evening after spending 12 hours lost in the woods near Bangor, P.E.I.

RCMP say the man set out along the Morell River early Saturday morning but became disoriented because damage from post-tropical storm Fiona had changed the directional cues he was used to.

Const. Gavin Moore, the P.E.I. RCMP media relations officer, said the man might have been lost for much longer had another angler he encountered earlier in the day not noticed in the evening that the man's vehicle was still parked at the riverside. 

"It's through thoughtfully checking on a fellow angler that this incident came to a positive resolution," he said.

More noted that this was the second incident this month in which Fiona debris led to somebody getting lost on the Island. An experienced hiker who became lost on the Beck Trail near Murray River also cited the change in familiar landmarks.

"Contributing factors in this instance was that trails were in disarray from Fiona treefalls, and it was very thick and heavy terrain to try and navigate," Moore said Monday.

"Trails and familiar places may not be as they once were," he warned. 

The searchers looking for the Morell River fisherman included 20 personnel from P.E.I. Ground Search and Rescue, the Morell fire department and their boat, an RCMP drone, a police dog team, and members of the Kings District RCMP. 

RCMP also used a special mapping system to coordinate the search, and Moore said the drone ultimately located him.

Moore recommends that Islanders take extra precautions even in familiar areas this summer, keeping extra food, water and other supplies on hand when heading out into the woods.

Police also suggest having a charged cell phone with you, and making sure someone else is aware of your destination and your expected return time.