A group of overdue canoeists was found safe and sound on a McLeod Lake island Thursday morning after an overnight search by search and rescue personnel .
The group - four adults and five young children in two canoes - had left last Friday on a multi-day trip along the Crooked River starting at Summit Lake and were supposed to return Tuesday.
When they didn't, Prince George RCMP was contacted Wednesday afternoon and two officers drove out to the launch point where they found the group's vehicles but nothing else.
Prince George Search and Rescue was called and by midnight a search had begun and aerial spotters found them about eight hours later.
The group had originally planned to go into Wells Gray provincial park but the water was too rough so they changed their itinerary but failed to leave a message on the dashboard of one of their vehicles, search and rescue spokesman Jeff Smedley said.
But they were also well prepared, he noted.
"They had tents, they still had food and water. They were not in a survival situation, they were just overdue," Smedley said.
The search involved 20 searchers, five Prince George Amateur Radio Club members, four aerial spotters from the Provincial Emergency Program's air search and rescue group, as well as RCMP.
Smedley said the radio club members were very helpful in coordinating communication between the aerial and ground searchers and the swiftwater team. Once the airborne spotters found them at about 8 a.m., it took only an hour to reach the group, Smedley said.
Smedley recommended outdoor enthusiasts purchase a spot beacon with an "I'm ok" button that can be pushed to tell family members all is well. They cost less than $200 and work almost everywhere in the local wilderness, he said.
None of the group was from the Prince George area.
