Three hikers killed after falling into B.C. waterfall
Ryker Gamble, a Vancouver travel and adventure vlogger, was one of three people killed after being swept into one of the pools at Shannon Falls near Squamish, B.C.
Gamble died when he jumped in to try and save a young woman who slipped and was swept into one of the pools fed by the majestic waterfalls. Her boyfriend, who also jumped into the water, also died.
Gamble, who was identified through social media, was part of a globe-trotting vlogging group called High on Life SundayFundayz who built a large online following posting photos and videos from the exotic and hard-to-get locations.
Gamble and two other group members, Alexey Lyakh and Justis Price Brown, made headlines and earned bans from U.S. federal lands after they participated in an out-ofbounds excursion on a sensitive hot spring in Yellowstone National Park in 2016.
An investigation into the group’s travels revealed violations of park rules at Yellowstone, Zion, Death Valley and Mesa Verde national parks and Utah’s Corona Arch and Bonneville Salt Flats.
Squamish RCMP said the trio, in their late 20s and early 30s, were swimming in one of the icy pools that form part of Shannon Falls, a 335-metre waterfall about 60 kilometres north of Vancouver.
Friends of the victims reported seeing them swept over the lip of one pool toward a second about 30 metres below.
Squamish RCMP Cpl. Sascha Banks said rescuers were able to locate the trio’s bodies on Tuesday around 8:30 p.m.
“The RCMP and Squamish SAR have transitioned to a recovery of the bodies from the pool but the terrain is extremely difficult, very dangerous, and the water flow will be heavy with the warm temperatures today, increasing the risk to those in the recovery effort,” said Banks in a statement Wednesday.
“Specialized RCMP and SAR teams are already on site this morning. Until the joint operation is completed Shannon Falls and any trails leading to the pool system at the top of Shannon Falls are closed to the public.”
Police will use a helicopter to extract the bodies of the three hikers, but steep terrain will make the recovery difficult, a search and rescue spokesman said.
John Willcox of Squamish Search and Rescue said crews will use ropes to lower RCMP officers into the pool at Shannon Falls.
“Getting the helicopter in to actually do an extraction out of there has its challenges,” he said Wednesday.
He said crews are known to rescue people who have slipped in the area where hikers often fill their water bottles after spending a few hours traversing a strenuous trail.
They end up by the beautiful granite that’s been carved by the water over hundreds of years but the buildup of lichen makes the area slick, Willcox said, adding dogs and people have slipped into the water but have been helped out.
“This is the first time I’m aware that anybody has gone over the falls,” Willcox said, adding people should stay well away from the area.
Willcox said the area near Squamish has become increasingly popular with the addition of a gondola that is drawing a lot of locals and tourists who often hike into risky terrain without knowing what’s involved.
Banks said, “These pool systems, unless you have the right equipment with you, unless you understand the area, that you’re safe about doing it, you should not be up there.”
The woman and the other man have not been identified.