The beacon on Thornthwaite Crag, scene of the rescue. Photo: Mick Melvin CC-BY-SA-2.0
Two walkers lost on a Lake District fell were found by rescuers using smartphone technology.
The pair rang 999 after getting lost near Thornthwaite Crag yesterday.
Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team was called out about 5.30pm and used the Sarloc system, which sends a link to the person’s smartphone which when clicked allows the team to pinpoint their position.
A team spokesperson said: “The team quickly located the missing persons using the Sarloc system and tasked four team members to the beacon near Thornthwaite Crag.
“The persons were located cold and wet but in good spirits. After a quick assessment on scene they were walked back down towards the team Land Rover situated in Pasture Bottom.”
The 4½-hour rescue involved seven volunteers from Patterdale MRT.
Nigel Wise
29 May 2015I am one of the two people rescued along with my wife and we are extremely grateful to the Patterdale Mountain Rescue team for locating us and leading us safely back down to Hartsop. The work they do is amazing and if not for them we might not be here now. Thanks guys (and Corrie the dog!).
Sheepy
29 May 2015Well Nigel, I wouldn't over egg your predicament! You were hardly half way up Everest were you? The article makes no mention of any injuries either.
Let me just ask though. At 5.30 with plenty of daylight left with your map and compass in hand and standing next to a fairly substantial landmark, just how did you manage to be lost and in need of rescue?
You did have a map and compass didn't you?
31.5 man hours to rescue you because you were lost. At £50 per hour that's over £1,500, or £3,000 at £100 per hour.
heidi
29 May 2015Nigel- did you have a map and compass? I'm just wondering why you got lost?
#Nanny State
30 May 2015Maybe I’m missing something here, but you obviously had a smart phone, presumably with some GPS compatibility, OS Locate App or something similar. So were you actually “lost”? You could have pinged a Grid Ref and then navigated with a good old fashioned map and compass?
Please feel free to correct me, but this strikes me as being an unnecessary MR call out. Being “lost” with no threat to life is not an excuse to call out MR.
#Nanny State
30 May 2015erm.....my previous comment (below) hasn't appeared ....is there some kind of censorship going on?
Maybe I’m missing something here, but you obviously had a smart phone, presumably with some GPS compatibility, OS Locate App or something similar. So were you actually “lost”? You could have pinged a Grid Ref and then navigated with a good old fashioned map and compass?
Please feel free to correct me, but this strikes me as being an unnecessary MR call out. Being “lost” with no threat to life is not an excuse to call out MR.
Grumpy Old Man
31 May 2015Maybe I’m missing something here, but you obviously had a smart phone, presumably with some GPS compatibility, OS Locate App or something similar. So were you actually “lost”? You could have pinged a Grid Ref and then navigated with a good old fashioned map and compass?
Please feel free to correct me, but this strikes me as being an unnecessary MR call out. Being “lost” with no threat to life is not an excuse to call out MR.
ian512
11 June 2015Further to rating hotels and attractions the new rate my walk website WalkAdvisor provides the opportunity to rate the service of your rescue team.
Recent comments from the site:
“I can recommend the Welsh rescue teams but I’m not so keen on the Lake District ones. We were rescued during our last holiday in the Lakes and the team leader suggested that we learn to navigate. I was affronted by what was said; after all it’s their job to rescue us if we get lost.”
“I agree, we had to wait so long for the rescue team that we considered trying to get down by ourselves; shocking.”