A Kelowna man recently removed a 15' of rope he says was strung between trees across two popular trails in the Upper Mission.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Kane Blake
April 24, 2017 - 11:30 AM
"IT COULD HAVE TAKEN SOMEONE'S HEAD OFF."
KELOWNA – A Kelowna family removed a rope strung between trees in the bush in the Upper Mission on the weekend that appears to have been a dangerous trap for dirt bikers on Crown land.
Kane Blake, his wife, mother-in-law and eight-year-old son were riding in two side-by-side off road vehicles when they stopped to inspect a pile of garbage that had been illegally dumped near the Gillard Forest Service Road in Upper Mission.
He says it was a fluke they even saw the rope which he says was light blue and white, and about the thickness of a pencil.
"You’d never see it," he says. "It was at perfect neck height.”
Blake is the president of a local group of volunteers dedicated to cleaning up backcountry garbage.
He says the spot where the trap was set was where a section of the trail splits into two directions. Both trails were covered by the same length of rope – which was tied tight and positioned so it would be hard to see.
“They didn’t care whether you were coming or going,” he says. “I have a roll cage so it wouldn’t have done anything to us but it would have been a different story for someone on a bike.”
Blake cut down the rope and took it home and he’s warning others to use caution, even on public land.
"It could have taken someone's head off," Blake says. "Keep your eyes open."
Cpl. Jesse O'Donaghey says Kelowna RCMP have received no complaints about sabotaged trails, but adds if caught, an offender could, depending on circumstances, face charges relating to trespassing, causing damage to property and causing injury to another person.
RCMP recommend that back country enthusiasts use extra caution, scan for potential hazards, remove any hazards if safe to do so and report suspicious activity to your local police.
— This story was updated at 3:45 p.m. Monday, April 24, 2017 with information from Kelowna RCMP.
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