Author Topic: Rescue as group walked wrong Lake District fell in mist  (Read 2603 times)

barewirewalker

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4226
Re: Rescue as group walked wrong Lake District fell in mist
« Reply #15 on: 12:22:13, 14/12/20 »
I was once on the front end of a stretcher, carrying a casualty off Pillar Rock.
Arrived in a misty valley a long way from, our campsite in Wasdale, to where the ambulance was. Sadly the casualty was pronounced dead on arrival and a Police car took of his immediate friends for statements. When the ambulance left there was no one else in the clearing. Apart from my mate, who had carried the other end of the stretcher.
Where do we go from here, I seem to remember saying to each other? I think it was dark, when we found our tent in Wasdale.
BWW
Their Land is in Our Country.

pdstsp

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3826
Re: Rescue as group walked wrong Lake District fell in mist
« Reply #16 on: 13:37:44, 14/12/20 »
Presumably you had descended to Ennerdale?  That must have been a grim walk back after such a horrible experience, BWW.

barewirewalker

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4226
Re: Rescue as group walked wrong Lake District fell in mist
« Reply #17 on: 17:16:43, 14/12/20 »
Indeed it was, I have been involved in 2 such instances. Unmanned rescue posts are thing of the past I expect.
BWW
Their Land is in Our Country.

Pomster

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 29
Re: Rescue as group walked wrong Lake District fell in mist
« Reply #18 on: 17:30:12, 15/12/20 »
I never get lost, i might not know where i am but i never get lost  :D :D :D


I remember when my brother was in the then South Ribble MRT back in the 70/80s he was called out at all hours, at the time quite a few of them seemed to be for the most trivial of reasons. Needs must hey?
« Last Edit: 17:41:18, 15/12/20 by Pomster »
Your mind is like a parachute, it works better when open

Dyffryn Ardudwy

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2576
Re: Rescue as group walked wrong Lake District fell in mist
« Reply #19 on: 14:07:08, 17/12/20 »
Its easily done, as ive discovered on numerous occasions, twice in the Carneddau, once, with interesting results on Cadair Idris, and the other time, i got hopelessly lost in the Black Mountains above Llanthony.

Thankfully they all happened in the heights of Summer, when daylight hours were long, and temperatures forgiving, so there was little panic or worry of darkness descending.

Mist can play havoc with a known route, as the terrain suddenly takes on a different appearance.


The best thing is NOT TO PANIC, and slowly take in your last known position, and try to calculate the time of you last known location.


My last escapade, was going around in circles on Carnedd Llewelyn"s summit for a good hour, trying in vain to locate the path towards Foel Grach.


I knew it was off to my right somewhere, but the navigation even with map & Compass was very difficult.


I even found myself going down hill dangerously towards Yr Elen, i simply had no idea where i was.


My car was in Cwm Eigiau, and after a lengthy merry go round tour of the summit, i had to go to Ogwen Cottage, as it was the only route  i could find.


Fun and entertaining in the Summer, but a more serious proposition in the Winter
« Last Edit: 18:39:42, 17/12/20 by Dyffryn Ardudwy »

Bigfoot_Mike

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2407
Re: Rescue as group walked wrong Lake District fell in mist
« Reply #20 on: 15:08:19, 17/12/20 »
It is easy to believe in oneself over the map and compass, even when in hindsight the errors were clear. In thick mist I have been convinced that I have reached a summit and the navigated on that basis. When after that the ground underfoot didn’t seem to match my map, my first thought was to think my compass was broken, when it was in reality it was me in error.


I once stopped on the Aonach Eagach ridge for a snack in thick mist and made the error of not checking my compass before setting off again, as you can’t go wrong on a narrow ridge. Through a slight clearing of the mist I spotted a road to my left that wasn’t on the map. I wrongly assumed that a road must have been built since the map was printed. I soon discovered that I had spent 15 minutes retracing my steps, having managed to perform a 180 degree turn during my rest.  :-[

forgotmyoldpassword

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1017
Re: Rescue as group walked wrong Lake District fell in mist
« Reply #21 on: 09:44:02, 18/12/20 »
I once stopped on the Aonach Eagach ridge for a snack in thick mist and made the error of not checking my compass before setting off again, as you can’t go wrong on a narrow ridge. Through a slight clearing of the mist I spotted a road to my left that wasn’t on the map. I wrongly assumed that a road must have been built since the map was printed. I soon discovered that I had spent 15 minutes retracing my steps, having managed to perform a 180 degree turn during my rest.  :-[


I'm glad I'm not the only one to have done this (or at least to own up to it).  Exactly the same thinking, awful weather, 'it's a ridge why do I even need to check the map'.  Turns out when you're cold, thick mist rolling in and it's torrential weather it's easy to not care about pulling your compass out to double check a bearing.


For me it was years ago in the Scottish highlands during the winter, and I ended up on a ridge running E instead of NNE (so perhaps not retracing my steps) but since I had full winter camping gear with me I remember the detour in failing light and torrential rain quite well!  Always make your compass easily accessible and check it often is for sure something I learned on that particular trip..

Ridge

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9691
Re: Rescue as group walked wrong Lake District fell in mist
« Reply #22 on: 09:58:51, 18/12/20 »

Me too, ended up at the shelter on top of Fairfield thinking, this isn't Dove Crag. Really scary when you realise what you've done, I had to sit down to let my head readjust to which way was north.


My golden rule with navigation is that when you think the map is wrong or the compass is broken, they aren't. It's you.
The exceptions to that rule are small enough to be not worth worrying about.

GnP

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2052
Re: Rescue as group walked wrong Lake District fell in mist
« Reply #23 on: 10:25:33, 18/12/20 »
Something I have noticed is my sense of direction & spacial awareness has waned as I have aged. I began noticing when I started turning the old  A to Z to the direction I was going while driving ...that was two decades ago too .  ???
Thankfully gps came along ..


A night under silnylon. Doesn't have the same ring to it.

Dyffryn Ardudwy

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2576
Re: Rescue as group walked wrong Lake District fell in mist
« Reply #24 on: 15:27:36, 18/12/20 »
Its easily done, as ive discovered on numerous occasions, twice in the Carneddau, once, with interesting results on Cadair Idris, and the other time, i got hopelessly lost in the Black Mountains above Llanthony.

Thankfully they all happened in the heights of Summer, when daylight hours were long, and temperatures forgiving, so there was little panic or worry of darkness descending.

Mist can play havoc with a known route, as the terrain suddenly takes on a different appearance.


The best thing is NOT TO PANIC, and slowly take in your last known position, and try to calculate the time of you last known location.


My last escapade, was going around in circles on Carnedd Llewelyn"s summit for a good hour, trying in vain to locate the path towards Foel Grach.


I knew it was off to my right somewhere, but the navigation even with map & Compass was very difficult.


I even found myself going down hill dangerously towards Yr Elen, i simply had no idea where i was.


My car was in Cwm Eigiau, and after a lengthy merry go round tour of the summit, i had to go to Ogwen Cottage, as it was the only route  i could find.


Fun and entertaining in the Summer, but a more serious proposition in the Winter

 

Terms of Use     Privacy Policy