Australian hiker missing in Nova Scotia national park not heard from for two weeks | Canada
Search efforts are continuing in Canada for a 62-year-old Australian woman who was reported missing while hiking in a large coastal national park in the southeast of the country on Tuesday.
Denise Ann Williams was last heard from on April 15, when she told her family she was traveling to Chéticamp, a fishing village on the west coast of Cape Breton Island in the province of Nova Scotia.
His rental car, a Nissan Sentra, was found at the Parks Canada visitor center at the start of the Acadian trail, an 8.4km loop in the Cape Breton Highlands national park.
One local said on social media that they “walked in the park every other day and their car probably hadn’t moved in two weeks.”
It is known that deer, coyotes and black bears live in the park, which embraces a rocky coastline.
The Acadian trail is described on its website as a “medium” difficulty trail with “elevation gain and some short, steep sections.” It is estimated to take three to four hours to complete. Phone reception in the park is spotty.
“Hik with friends and a sturdy cane,” the website advises. “If you choose to walk alone, tell someone where you are going.”
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Inverness Country said they received a call reporting Williams missing around 9:30 a.m. local time on April 28.
In an effort to assist the public, they released pictures of him and a physical description describing him as “6 feet tall, greyish-blonde, with shoulder-length hair.”
Police said Williams is believed to be wearing a dark-colored winter jacket, a powder blue beanie (or hat) with the word “Antarctica” written on it, an orange and blue scarf and glasses.
Air and ground searches continued Friday, with the RCMP and Department of Natural Resources air services, police dog services, multiple ground search and rescue teams and many other agencies assisting police, authorities said.
Chéticamp Search and Rescue chief Chris Bellmore told CBC News on Thursday it’s “very challenging terrain in Nova Scotia.”
“We have very mountainous terrain here… There’s a lot of water here and we actually still have snow in the Highlands and some areas, which makes it a little bit difficult to search.”
Nova Scotia police officer Mandy Edwards told Australia’s national broadcaster ABC that wildlife could pose a danger in the region at this time of year, as bears wake up from hibernation for the mating season.
“Hopefully he met some people along the way who might recognize him from the published photo,” he said.
“So our investigators will look at those tips and tips from the public to help direct their search.”
While daytime temperatures in the park vary between 0C and 14C, they drop to -5C during the night and snowfall continues.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it was providing consular assistance to Ms Williams’ family.
A ministry spokesman said: “Due to our confidentiality obligations we are unable to comment further.”
– via Australian Associated Press
