Rescuers stretcher one of the family members from the hillside. Photo: Wasdale MRT
Mountain rescuers risked being swept away in torrential mountain stream when they were called out to help a family group on the slopes of England’s highest mountain.
Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team was alerted about 4pm on Sunday when a family member injured an ankle in deteriorating weather.
Richard Warren of the team said the group was also trapped by rising water levels in the becks in the area. “This five-hour rescue was made more difficult due to its location between Greta Gill and Piers Gill on the descent from Scafell Pike,” he said.
“The weather that morning was good but with a forecast for very heavy and persistent rain coming in at midday.
“The two younger members of the family required stretchering off the mountain with some urgency due to water levels in the surrounding streams rising to the point where even team members were at risk of being swept away.
“In these conditions, even with the best waterproofs, hypothermia is a major risk factor, especially with younger members of groups.”
Mr Warren said, while the rescue was taking place, Patterdale MRT was attending a similar situation where a party of young walkers were suffering mild and deteriorating hypothermia. This rescue involved three mountain rescue teams and a helicopter.
Over the weekend there were seven 999 calls involving five of the Lake District teams: Patterdale, Keswick, Langdale Ambleside, Duddon and Furness and Wasdale along with RAF Leeming MRT.
Since the beginning of August there have been 14 incidents across Cumbria and Wasdale MRT has dealt with 12 emergency calls in the past two weeks.
Mr Warren said: “Many of these rescues could have been avoided by simple but essential preparation and planning.
“Appropriate clothing, footwear along with map, compass and torch and knowing how to use plus checking the forecast would go a long way to reducing the workload on our teams.”
Wasdale team members cross a swollen stream during the rescue.
Paul King
08 August 2017Should name and shame the people who have to be rescued due to their own ignorance and selfishness. I see these people quite regularly in the Lake District. They care only about nothing spoiling their plans and have no thought for the brave folk who have to rescue them.
JH
08 August 2017Oh no, here we go again! Another keyboard warrior blessed with the good fortune of never having being inexperienced and having made mistakes. Whilst, now as an ML, MTB Leader and member of an MRT I’m an advocate of being properly equipped, I look back at my early days in the outdoors and there’s many a “there but for the grace of God” moment! Surely we all have learned from mistakes in the mountains if we've been playing in them for long enough.
Those moments for me were valuable learning and encouraged self-reliance. I think the big difference nowadays is the mobile phone making it easy to call for help. Recently I was talking to a university student who described to me almost an exact same incident that I had when I was his age getting benighted on Holly Tree Wall and Continuation Wall in winter. Our answer: sit out a pretty cold and unpleasant night. Their answer: call MR.
Personally I think it’s all too easy to hit the red button these days, but, nonetheless will still turn out to help others without judgement. One day through no fault of mine (your) own I (you) might just be very grateful to see a red jacket!
Margaret
08 August 2017I think the key question to be asked is why Volunteer Rescue Team members are receiving more and more calls on their valuable personal time.
JH, yes there used to be a different approach in dealing with the unexpected on the hill, which prompts a second but connected question, what has changed.
There must be a more complex answer to those questions than a simple, everyone now carries a mobile phone or locator.
KW
08 August 2017Margaret, you have hit the nail on the head... The mobile phone. That is the reason for more call outs along with the fact more people are heading to the hills and mountains.
And I agree with you JH, I made many a stupid mistake in the years gone by in the hills, which has made me learn and improve my skill set.
I do wonder if with the increase in MR call outs, the teams can continue to work purely as a volunteer based organisation.
Margaret
08 August 2017KW - more than mobile phones etc. I think the question needing to be asked is associated with your comment "...more people are heading to the hills...".
JH
08 August 2017"...more people are heading to the hills..." ... I think that's the problem combined with the mobile phone and a general perception that if you have a mobile phone you're somehow "safe"
I think it's a massive educational shift to get people out of the mindset "if something goes wrong I'll phone for help towards an attitude that promotes self reliance and if needs be self rescue... as the quote from Mr Warren in the article.
Margaret
08 August 2017JH - good points.
Paul King
09 August 2017JH Please note comments of the mountain rescue team. "Forecast for heavy and persistent rain coming in at midday". "Rescues can be avoided by simple preparation and planning."
"In these conditions even with the best waterproofs hypothermia is a major risk factor especially with younger members of the group." Should have abandoned plans for this walk and stayed low level. Fantastic respect and admiration for the Mountain rescue teams!
Ian512
10 August 2017I often wonder when people end up arguing with each other on grough if they are discussing the same thing – apples and oranges. There appear to be two distinct groups that call on Rescue Teams.
In the first group there are the experienced mountaineers and there are the well prepared beginners, all whom could at times find themselves with a problem that requires outside assistance; as it has always been.
In the second group, there are people who seem have little or no experience of the hills. They are on holiday perhaps, they are encouraged in a variety ways to go walking. They see others heading up a significant hill and decide, ‘lets give it a go; we can walk and it can’t be that difficult’.
Rescue Team members for many decades have themselves been mountaineers and the teams were established to assist fellow mountaineers in trouble. The second grouping is I suspect, adding the current extra burden on voluntary team members. How to affect the behaviour of those in that group will no doubt be difficult.
JH
11 August 2017Paul ... congratulations on being blessed with such good judgement in hindsight.
You're not telling me that you've never been caught out by the weather, just pushed it a bit too far and just got away with it.
Ah ...you're so perfect!
Hopefully the people involved will learn from it and go on to enjoy the outdoors a little more safely. I'd certainly encourage them to do so rather than pillory them from my ivory tower. :-)
Thanks for the respect though,