Vanished in Vancouver: the Hong Kong-born hikers who never made it home for Christmas
- Chinese-Canadians Lam Chun-sek and Roy Lee Tin-hou were hiking when they vanished in the mountains of North Vancouver on Christmas Day 2016
- Years later, their loved ones are still seeking answers and closure
It was a clear, beautiful morning on December 25, 2016, when Chinese-Canadians Lam Chun-sek and Roy Lee Tin-hou set off for a winter hike in the mountains of North Vancouver. A thick layer of fresh snow blanketed every surface as the sun shone overhead, transforming the woods into a dazzling, monochromatic world.
A shared affinity for hiking and a love for nature had brought Lam, a 64-year-old retired cook and Lee, 43, together. The two often went hiking as a pair, or with others including a group of friends they met through Vancouver’s Sowers Society of Education, the Vancouver branch of Sowers Action, a Hong Kong-based educational charity.
That morning, the trails in and around Cypress Provincial Park, a popular winter sports area located in North Vancouver, were bustling with skiers, snowshoers and hikers. Like many who took the same route that day, Lee and Lam strapped on their snowshoes and ascended the Howe Sound Crest around 9am, a 29km trail that takes hikers through the dense forests and into steep areas that lead to breathtaking views of the Vancouver coastline.
We felt terrible, but there was nothing more that could be done
By noon, Lam and Lee had reached an area called St Mark’s Summit, a popular 1,371 metre-high lookout where they greeted a fellow hiker and continued on their way.
But hours later, in the evening, Lee’s vehicle was found empty in the car park by rangers. The pair had left no notes or messages about where they would be hiking that day so rescuers, friends and family were left to guess where they had gone.
The next day, on December 26, a search began on Cypress Mountain and the surrounding Black Mountain trails. The weather had taken a turn for the worse, as a snowstorm and whiteout conditions obscured the landscape, making it difficult for rescue teams to find any traces of the pair.
It remains unclear exactly what happened to Lam and Lee. All that is known is that some time between noon and 10pm on Christmas Day, Lam and Lee vanished. They have not been seen since.
