A 42-year-old trail runner required the services of Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) after he found himself stranded in the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve on Sunday afternoon.
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This saw a team of professionals and volunteers dispatched to Assegaaibosch to assist.
The runner, Wian Koch, had set out at 10am on Sunday morning with the intention to run and hike the Twin Peaks route in Jonkershoek.
Unfamiliar with his intended route, he used a popular mobile hiking app to help follow the trail.
After nearing the top of the trail through Nerina Kloof, the path became faint and difficult to follow. Struggling to find his way, he decided to turn and follow the path back down the mountain.
‘As I went around the mountain, I started climbing and quickly realised that it was very steep, but I didn’t want to go back down so I just continued up, eventually went over the top and tried to find my way down, still following the trail,’ said Koch.
‘I was halfway down when the route took me into the gorge where I got stuck. It just became steeper and steeper, and I kept looking at the trail on my phone which said I was still on track.’
‘But eventually it became so steep that I was not able to continue.’
‘Luckily I had some reception and I phoned my wife, who got me some help.’
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A team of four CapeNature rangers was sent to try and assist in locating the stranded trail runner.
He was found in the narrow gorge and assisted roughly 80m higher up the steep buttress to a point where the helicopter could see him.
A small team on board the Western Cape Department of Health & Wellness EMS / Air Mercy Service (AMS) rescue helicopter was flown to the scene and hoisted down to a point close to the stranded runner.
He was helped into a rescue harness and hoisted up into the helicopter before being flown to a nearby landing zone.
‘The trail runner did the right thing,’ said WSAR spokesperson David Nel. ‘He stopped and called for help when he felt unsafe.’
‘Please save our number 021 937 0300 and call us sooner,’ he added.
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Picture: Francois Lombard / WSAR