A 45-year-old man who spent 10 days on Grouse Mountain suffering through frost bite and hallucinations has been found alive.
Michael St. Laurent was dehydrated and delusional when he was discovered in the Hanes Valley area by an off-duty search and rescue worker Saturday afternoon.
The North Vancouver resident had injured his hip and knee during what was meant to be a day trip to the mountain on Oct. 13. He was reported missing days later.
Tim Jones of North Shore Search and Rescue said by the time St. Laurent was found, he had prepared for his own death by writing his vital information on his arm.
"He had actually resigned himself that it was going to be it for him," Jones said.
Speaking to CTV News Sunday after being airlifted from the mountain, St. Laurent described the harrowing experience of hearing search crews scouring the mountain for him but being unable to call to them.
"I could hear them; they didn't hear me," he said. "On the third day I started hallucinating, and from there it's been a wait-and-see game to see who else is going to come up."
"It's been a very rough, a very tough slough."
He was found on Saturday by search member Jackie Bond, but a rescue helicopter was unable to reach them until 8 a.m. Sunday. Crews set up a tent, administered morphine to St. Laurent's frostbitten feet and stayed with him overnight.
Jones said St. Laurent is especially lucky after making a few critical errors that could have cost him his life.
"He didn't tell anyone where he was going, he didn't have a communication device," Jones said. "He didn't do himself a lot of favours."
His saving grace was a tarp that sheltered him through a few days of heavy rainfall, Jones said. St. Laurent also had a small amount of food and water with him.
He has been taken to Lions Gate Hospital, where he is listed in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery.
