By Janis Ramsay
Barrie Advance
BARRIE, Ontario — A couple out for a canoe ride near Little Lake Monday night ended up calling 911 just before midnight. Craig Williams, Springwater Deputy Fire Chief, said the pair paddled up Willow Creek, northwest of Little Lake. “It’s very difficult to get to, it’s completely surrounded by dense bush and swamp,” said Williams.
“I’m guessing they’re not familiar with the area.” The man and woman paddled to the shore and got out of their canoe, but didn’t drag it far enough in. “When they returned to get their canoe, it was gone. It must have drifted down the creek with the current.”
William said they didn’t know where they were, and would’ve had a hard time “getting through the forest.” They called 911 to report themselves lost, and the co-ordinates from the cellphone were used to track a general area where they were.
“Springwater firefighters on foot were able to yell back and forth to them behind the Barrie Country Club, and we were able to guide in the rescue boat that came from Oro-Medonte. “Without that, they wouldn’t have been able to get out.”
By the time the couple was rescued, it was 2 a.m. “They were transported back to Little Lake by the air boat and paramedics met them there.” Williams said the woman had a medical condition that required her to take medication at a certain time, and she didn’t have access to it. “It was a medical concern for us. It was potentially life threatening. If it had’ve gone until morning, we would’ve had issues with it,” said Williams.
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