Hikers lost in B.C. wilderness return after family had almost given up
Mother Rita Moynan, 84, says she felt like 'jumping up and down with joy'
Rick Moynan had been lost for seven days in the B.C. wilderness, and his daughter, Sara, says she believed he was dead.
"We had just been taken up to one of the last known locations where [Rick Moynan and partner Lynne Carmody] were, by helicopter.
"We were literally saying our goodbyes and preparing ourselves for what came next ... when we heard over the radio that they've just walked into the lodge and they are OK. I cannot begin to describe the emotions that happened in those two minutes."
Rita Moynan, 84, said she was overjoyed to hear her only son was rescued, after she'd prayed for seven days that he'd be safe.
"I thought I'd jump up and down — if I could," joked Moynan, from Bracebridge, Ont. "I have to admit after so many days I'd started to lose hope."
"This has been an emotional roller-coaster to say the least," said Sara Moynan, who asked for privacy to process the overwhelming emotions.
Rick Moynan phoned his mother Monday to describe his ordeal, telling her that he'd lived at the base of a mountain in a makeshift shelter.
"I told him," his mother said, "It's one thing to have your 15 minutes of fame, but to take a whole damn week is a bit much."
"Rick is not stupid," she said. "He really is a fine son."
He told his family, she said, that he'd lost about 10 pounds because of the ordeal.
"They had two oranges, three cookies, nine Tic Tacs and two Werther's Originals, that's it ... and they came back with one Tic Tac," said Sara Moynan.
Comox Valley Search and Rescue were about to call off the search for the pair after a week, when Carmody and Moynan walked out of the woods to Cathedral Lakes Lodge on Sunday afternoon.
"It's absolutely amazing," said Jeff Smedley of Prince George Search and Rescue.
"Seven days in the bush — they are alive and well and able to walk."
With minimal survival gear, no means to start a fire or even signal for help, Carmody and Moynan built themselves a shelter in a bush area.
Smedley said the pair had moved around, which created challenges for search crews.
The hikers were taken to hospital Sunday afternoon to be treated for dehydration.
