Woman rescued after dislocating her kneecap mid-hike near Lions Bay, B.C.

Lions Bay search and rescue members used a stretcher and a guideline to rescue a hiker who had dislocated her patella. (Lions Bay Search and Rescue)

Lions Bay Search and Rescue says a woman was rescued on Monday night after dislocating her kneecap while descending from a hike on the Harvey Trail.

Among trails through the Lions, the one to Mount Harvey is notoriously steep, according to local hiking guide websites, which call the 12.1-kilometre trek more difficult than the Grouse Grind.

In a post on its website, LBSAR said a rescue team went up the trail in the evening after hearing about the injury to find the woman, who was unable to continue on her own.

Team leader Brent Calkin told CTV News the terrain the hiker found herself in made the call an interesting one.

“We had a steep technical pitch to negotiate with an injured subject in a stretcher and set up a guideline ropeway system to lower the stretcher on what is essentially a fully controlled, technical zip line,” he explained in an email.

After being stretchered out, rescue teams brought the woman into a team vehicle and drove her to meet with her companions in Lions Bay, LBSAR said.

Search and rescue members suggest hikers making their way through steep terrain, like the Harvey Trail, use trekking poles to reduce impact on the knees, especially during long descents.