Hikers rescued after following non-existent trail on GoogleMaps – IOTW Report

Hikers rescued after following non-existent trail on GoogleMaps

SMH:
A search-and-rescue group in British Columbia advised hikers to use a paper map and compass instead of street map programs after it said two hikers had been rescued by helicopter after likely following a trail that did not exist, but that appeared on Google Maps.

The group, North Shore Rescue, said on Facebook that on November 6 Google Maps had removed the non-existent trail, in a very steep area with cliffs north of Mount Fromme, which overlooks Vancouver.

The group said it had deployed a helicopter and a rope rescue team on November 4 to the back of the mountain, which is 1185 metres high and covered in temperate rainforests, to help a stranded hiker who did not have a light and could not be seen below the dense tree canopy.

The group said it had recently put up signs that warned “Wrong Way Dangerous Cliffs” to underline how dangerous the area was.

In September, the group rescued a hiker who called to say he was on a cliff and was unsure how long he could hang on. Two years earlier, a hiker had fallen to his death from the same spot, the group said. more

13 Comments on Hikers rescued after following non-existent trail on GoogleMaps

  1. Google maps will create a “path” wherever multiple cell phones with “location” on pass through. My friend has a property in the country and recently paths started showing up in Google maps following the old logging roads we follow while hunting.

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  2. army types do not have to toss grenades (too dangerous), work a compass, or even be in good physical condition if they are members of a protected class. should work fine in the near-future.

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  3. Why do people mindlessly follow directions on their phones and completely ignore common sense? A few years ago, semi-trailer truck following GPS directions supposedly to a warehouse, drove down our narrow, 100+ year old Craftman house lined, obviously residential street. Our street is so narrow that cars can only park on one side of it without obstructing traffic.

    This muppet driving the semi drove down the street anyways because GPS. He got to a bend in the road and couldn’t go any further. He had to back out, guided by some kind workers who were doing some renovations on a neighbor’s house.

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  4. I relied on Google Maps to guide me last week. It had me make a left turn at an intersection with no signal onto a major road, during rush hour. Ugh.
    That’s the major problem I encounter. I need to be more skeptical of its instructions.

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  5. Google maps is awesome. I use it all the time. 99.999% of the time it is correct. For the love of God how is Google maps political? Claudia, post a cute animal video or something before I blow a gasket.

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  6. Google Maps “upgraded” a year or so ago to default to “the most fuel efficient route” which almost always takes you through residential neighborhoods, and as I like to say “thru their carports.” And yes, passing up a traffic light controlled intersection to drive on back streets to an uncontrolled left onto a busy street.

    The map is not the place, and if Google Maps is AI, we have nothing to fear.

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