It takes a special and confident person to embark on any kind of solo adventure in nature. One of these people, who thrives on getting into the forest, onto ski hills or on the water to explore, is Marion Tilstra.
She would not think twice about venturing out to explore on her own, until she found herself in a frightful situation during a snowshoe trek on a local and familiar trail network.
Marion is extremely fit, a competitive athlete, respected instructor/coach, especially in cycling and skiing, and all-around outdoor enthusiast.
She is looked up to by her peers for her outstanding technical skills, her endurance and her attention to safety. And as a member of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) force, she is well trained for crisis situations.
If you are going on some kind of outdoor adventure, Marion is the person you want to have along as a mentor or guide – and the last person you would expect would need to call for help.
For Marion, Feb. 26 was a typical day – a snowy winter day that inspired her to go for a snowshoe hike on a trail network near her Oro-Medonte home.
“I set out around 4 o’clock, planning to do a short loop and be finished well before dark," Tilstra recalled. "I noticed a faint trail flagged for snowshoeing so I curiously followed. I have biked on the trails in this area dozens of times, but with snowshoes on, I was curious about the nearby trails flagged for snowshoeing.”
The weather on this particular day was stormy with lots of snow coming down, but in the forest, Marion found it calm and peaceful (at first).
“It was a winter wonderland!”
Before long, however, she realized she could no longer see any flags marking the trail. And even the biking trails she knew so well were getting filled in with the heavy snowfall.
To make things worse, her phone was about to die. Because of this, she called her partner, Manda (Freyman), to let her know that she was feeling a bit lost and would be late getting home. Her phone died before the call ended.
“At this point, I felt frustrated not knowing exactly where I was and just thought it would take me a bit longer to find my way back to the road and my vehicle,” Tilstra explained.
Then it started getting dark. “It’s not a big deal,” Marion thought at first; “my eyes will adjust.” She just kept walking, but not too fast, as she knew she couldn’t risk getting over-tired or too hot and sweaty.
Even though she was on snowshoes, the heavy snowfall made it tough going. But she knew she couldn’t stop or she would freeze.
In her efforts to reach any landmark to make her way out of the forest, she often ventured off the trail, thinking she was taking a short cut, only to discover she wasn’t where she thought she should be and would have to backtrack.
After this happened numerous times, she decided, “no matter what, I have to stay on the trail.”
When she glanced at her watch about 7:30 pm, she realized just how long she had been struggling to find her way out and could only hope that help was on its way.
Meanwhile, Manda had sent out an SOS to her community of mountain biking friends saying Marion was lost and asked for volunteers to meet her at the trailhead (where Marion had parked her vehicle). She also put a call into the OPP describing the situation and asking for assistance.
Finally, Marion thought she heard someone yelling and also saw two sets of lights in the distance; she headed hopefully toward one set of lights, but before reaching them, they disappeared.
She then went in the direction of the second set of lights and definitely did hear yelling. She yelled back and continued to walk in the right direction until she saw her saviours – Manda and eight good friends, along with four OPP cruisers, at the trailhead.
The OPP Emergency Response Team (ERT) that was making plans to initiate a search was called off.
“I was so relieved to see them,” said Marion, exhausted after her four-hour snowshoe ordeal. “I don’t know how much longer I would have been in there if I hadn’t seen their lights and heard their voices.”
Marion is grateful to all of her rescuers, albeit a bit embarrassed that she got lost in her own backyard playground. “Bottom line though, is that it can happen. And it did. I’ll be more prepared next time I go out on my own.”
She said she would bring along a small backpack with some basic emergency supplies on any kind of an outing in the future, especially solo.
In addition to basic items like water, light, compass and whistle, Marion stressed that it is important to know that you cannot always depend on technology, and, above all, to let someone know of your plans.
Luckily, the experience has not caused Marion to say she would give up her “happy place.” “I certainly have learned some good lessons,” she said, “but I love being out in the woods and look forward to enjoying many more outdoor adventures, both with friends and on my own.”
