Bug bitten hiker spends night outdoors in Killarney after medical emergency

A hiker warns others after a friend's heat stroke forced an overnight ordeal in Killarney Provincial Park. Angela Gemmill has more.

Max MacDonald, 23, has some itchy reminders from his recent hiking ordeal – bug bites all over his arms, ankles and torso.

“I got stuck overnight in the woods sleeping in essentially a swamp with nothing but an emergency blanket,” MacDonald said.

Now he’s warning others after he and his two friends experienced an emergency last weekend in Killarney Provincial Park.

They were hiking the 20-kilometre trail to Topaz Lake, part of the Lacloche Silouette Trail, when one of his companions suffered a medical emergency.

“Thirteen kilometres in -- so we were about seven km from the campsite -- my friend got heat stroke and wasn’t able to go any further. One of my friends went ahead to get help while I stayed with my friend while we waited for help,” MacDonald said.

“We waited about four hours, and I ended up just going ahead a little bit to see if there was anybody coming. I met some of the park rangers and I was able to give coordinates to the helicopter looking for us.”

MacDonald said he does a fair bit of hiking, but this was the longest hike he had ever done. The trio had plenty of water, food and a first aid kit with them along the hike, but they weren’t expecting to spend extra time in the woods.

“We were right in the middle of the woods, too. So, we were pretty far from any kind of opening in the trees,” he said.

MacDonald said he hiked with the search team to where his distressed friend was, but he had already been evacuated by an Ornge Air helicopter.

His third friend had already gone on ahead to the parking lot. But because MacDonald was mobile, he wasn’t taken out by the chopper.

So he and the search team were forced to spend the night outside.

“I was basically just sleeping on the ground with the bugs swarming around my ears and my face. I got pretty chewed up.”

Exhausted, sore

When he finally got home, he was completely exhausted and his legs were very sore.

When the medical emergency happened, the hikers were able to send a distress message using a satellite communication device. The alert was received by the Ontario Provincial Police, who notified Killarney Park Wardens.

First responders — including Killarney Volunteer Firefighters and Manitoulin-Sudbury EMS — assembled at George Lake Campground. Firefighters then accompanied park wardens on foot to the location.

Geronimo Barrales, assistant park superintendent of operations, said rescues happen from “time to time, particularly during the busy hiking season.”

“Lacloche Silhouette, it includes a lot of remote and rugged areas,” Barrales said.

“Common injuries do include sprains, strains, missteps ... just because of loss of footing due to the park’s rugged terrain.”

He said rain can make the terrain slick and high temperatures can cause dehydration or heat stroke. Ontario Parks advises all visitors to check forecasts beforehand and be prepared for variable weather.

“Whether they’re going to be doing a 40-minute, hour-long day trip here in some of the shorter trails, or doing a four to five-night overnight trip, you should definitely be prepared for any changes in the conditions on the trail,” Barrales said.

Barrales recommends hikers have sufficient water, wear proper footwear and dress appropriately for the conditions.

The La Cloche Silhouette hiking trail is rated advanced, and Barrales said users should complete beginner or intermediate overnight hikes before attempting such a challenging trail.

Collects info on hikers

Ontario Parks requires all overnight hikers in Killarney Provincial Park to register ahead of time. Hikers are also asked to describe their equipment, for example, the colour of tents and backpacks.

Vehicle licence plate information is collected upon arrival at the park, which also helps determine who’s in the backcountry.

The park also lends out SPOT units, which are connected to satellites, allowing park staff to retrieve a hiker’s location if they call the park or emergency services for help.

As for MacDonald, he said the ordeal won’t deter him from hiking again. But next time, he might pack some water purification tablets and mosquito netting along with his regular supplies.

“It was pretty miserable staying in a swamp overnight with no equipment,” he said.

“If (the park rangers) didn’t come, we would have been in serious trouble, so I’m very grateful to all the park rangers who helped me out.”