2 Scouts leaders found after going missing during weekend camping trip near Sooke

Two Scouts leaders say they're relieved to have made it out of the woods safe after becoming separated from their camping group during a storm Sunday in a remote area near Sooke.

Lisa Nilsson and Peter Kenmare were found Monday afternoon, about 24 hours after they were last seen around the Jordan River area near the dam. 

"It was snowing, it was sleet. You name it, the worst case scenario, that's what it was yesterday," Nilsson said Monday, after their ordeal. 

"I'm very thankful for people and volunteers that do this." 

Juan de Fuca Search and Rescue was called on Sunday when they were reported missing. 

Nilsson and Kenmare were part of a group of five scouts and three leaders who were camping in the area. 

The scouts, all between the ages of 11 and 14, and one of the leaders became trapped in a remote area when the creek they crossed became too high to return, said Kathryn Farr, deputy search and rescue manager.

The deteriorating weather made the group realize they needed to come up with a "contingency plan," Kenmare said. 

2 leaders decide to split from group to get help

Two of them could try to leave and get help. Another option was to take the kids with them. The third was to stay and rely on their radios for help.

Nilsson and Kenmare decided the safest option was to split from the group and find help.

They travelled west, but a storm rolled in and forced them to change their plans once again.

"That was the time we had to stop, because it was becoming a real dangerous situation for the both of us," Kenmare said.

The pair brought camping gear with them and hunkered down for the night. 

Search and rescue crews worked until 2 a.m. in snowy and windy conditions looking for the pair, Farr said.

Rescue crews managed to find the rest of the group, who were "well-prepared" with dry clothing and food, Farr said. They could not immediately be rescued as the creek was too high.  

At first light on Monday, Nilsson and Kenmare managed to make their way back to a logging road where rescuers spotted them. 

The five children and remaining Scouts leader are still at their campsite near the creek.

Search and rescue groups expect the young campers to be able to come out on foot once water levels drop in the creek.

Nilsson and Kenmare say they have experience and training that they pass on to the Scouts on how to stay safe in the woods.

Despite that, the pair say this is a "first," and they're grateful for the rescuers who spent a cold night in the wilderness searching for them. 

"You can have all the best training in the world. You can check the weather. You can have all the proper gear," Nilsson said.

"Stuff happens."