WATCH: Video shows rescue of woman who nearly froze to death in northern Ontario

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Lost photographer rescued from deep snow

Dramatic winter rescue of lost photographer

Ontario Provincial Police have released bodycam footage of a photographer being rescued after they got lost while taking wildlife photos on Whitefish Island, near Sault St. Marie.

Police said the incident took place just after 4 p.m. on Feb. 7, when the temperature was a chilly -13.2 C. The 40-year-old woman had spent the day taking photos when she veered off the trail to follow animal tracks.

When she turned to go back, she realized she didn’t know where she was or how to find the trail. She then called a friend, who then called the OPP to come and help.

In a post April 21, police said she had gotten stuck in deep snow, losing her glove and one of her boots when they found her.

“She is recovering and chose to share her story to help remind others that winter conditions can turn dangerous fast, even close to home,” police said.

She had been outside for three or four hours when police found her, and was about half a kilometre from the trail.

The video includes a recording of her friend calling 911, explaining the situation. Police are then seen arriving on the scene, finding her stuck in deep snow and urging her to put on gloves.

“You gotta put them on — you’re going to freeze, OK? Hypothermia is going to set in,“ the officer says in the video.

“OK,” the freezing woman replies.

OPP also gave her a toque.

“Are you OK?” they ask her.

“Yes!” she responds loudly.

Officers then help her to her feet and try to walk her out, but the snow was too deep. So they called Sault Fire Services to come to the scene with a rescue sleigh.

The video then shows the arrival of firefighters with the sleigh, trudging through the deep snow. The woman then lies on the sleigh and firefighters cover her with a blanket.

In an email to CTV News, OPP Const. Ashley Nickle said in an email that the woman had just moved north from southern Ontario.

It was her first time out in the snow in the area.

“By the time she realized she was stuck in the snow, it was almost too late as she could barely move her hands and fingers,” Nickle said.

“Her recollection of the actual rescue is vague -- she remembers calling for help, and police arriving quickly. She remembers officers telling her to walk, and the next she remembers is waking up in the hospital.”

Once out of the bush, she was taken to hospital by ambulance, where doctors told her that, after her long exposure, “she would not have survived much longer in the cold,” police said.

“Doctors told her that her heart rate was irregular and her body temperature was dangerously low. She had hypothermia and frostbite in her right leg from losing her boot in the snow. She was told she would not have survived much longer outside in those conditions.”

Police said the incident is a reminder of the importance of being familiar with their surroundings and weather conditions when travelling on and off trails in the bush, regardless of the season.

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