No word on condition of hiker rescued after falling off Cape Split cliff

CTV Atlantic: No word on condition of hiker There's still no word on the condition of a young woman who fell down a steep cliff at Cape Split Saturday afternoon.

There's still no word on the condition of the young woman who fell from a steep cliff at Cape Split Saturday afternoon.

It took rescue crews most of the afternoon to reach the 26-year-old woman from Dartmouth, due to the rough terrain.

Witnesses say the woman was with her dogs when something went wrong.

"(The) young lady was chasing her dogs and she had slid down the embankment, so in the crevice, probably about 100 feet in," says witness Joy Potter.

Potter says emergency crews reached the woman via boat and a helicopter.

“Then some of the other teams from Canning came in on their quads, and it was quite a way to get in and then they had to assess how to get her out," she says.

RCMP say a climber from the Kings County Rope Rescue Team was able to climb down the cliff to reach the victim, who was then brought to shore by boat.

She was taken to Valley Regional Hospital with serious injuries.

"This is probably the second time we've been out here in the last month and a half or so but we usually do five or six rescue calls out here a year," says Scott Cruickshank, assistant Deputy Chief of the Canning Volunteer Fire Department.

The cliffs at Cape Split are not fenced in, but there are signs on display warning hikers of actively eroding and unstable cliffs.

"Please read the posted signs for safety (and have) dogs on a leash,” says Cruickshank. “Just stay away from the banks because a lot of under erosion underneath the banks, it could be great land your standing on but it could be totally undermined underneath."

Cape Split isn’t the only iconic Nova Scotia landmark that poses a safety risk. On May 22, a 46-year-old Quebec woman died in the cold waters off Peggys Cove. A number of accidents around the site over the years have sparked debates on how to solve the problem.

Some argued more signage was needed, while others suggested a safety fence would be the only way to keep visitors away from the slippery black rocks near the water.

"There hasn't been a lot of signage that I've seen but most people just know (to) stay away from the cliffs," says Krista Whitehouse, co-organizer of Halifax Outdoor Adventurers.

Whitehouse says it's important to be prepared before you leave for a hike.

"Always wear the right gear, have the proper hiking boots on, have the right dress, make sure you’re not going to get hypothermic,” says Whitehouse. “Make sure you have enough food and water in case you get stuck."

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Allan April.