North Coast Rescue (NSR) said the area was very steep and there were no paths leading to the cliff where the hiker was found. Moreover, there were warning signs to warn passengers about this price hike. But some, as you can understand, this does not stop them.

Error in Maps

NSR sent a rescue team by helicopter but could not locate the tourist from the air. Thick trees concealed him from prying eyes, and he was reportedly traveling with “minimal equipment” without a flashlight to indicate his location to rescuers. The search and rescue team eventually located the missing hiker.

The service confirmed to journalists that it used Google Maps for the tourist’s movement. He saw a trail on the map that wasn’t actually there. The company quickly responded to the incident, removing the non-existent mountain trail on Monday and nonchalantly stating that phones should not be used for navigation while hiking. A similar call was made to NSR:

Navigating the wilderness with the help of “urban street maps” like Google Maps is simply impractical. If you’re using a phone navigation app, consider using something designed specifically for outdoor use, such as CalTopo or Gaia, that comes preloaded with an area-appropriate wildlife topographic map. We always recommend using an old paper map and compass.
– tell the rescuers.

This isn’t the first time tourists have had to be rescued in these mountains after using Google Maps. In September, another hiker became stranded on a cliff after following a similar route visible on Maps. He called 911 and said he was stranded on Mount Fromm and was “waiting, not sure how long he could last.”

This comes just a few months after a lawsuit was filed against Google over outdated instructions that caused a man to cross a collapsed bridge and drown in icy water. Google was accused of not updating Maps on time, claiming that the bridge collapsed nine years ago, and this should have been reflected in the application.