Cwm Pen-llafar with the Carneddau in the distance. Photo: Ian Greig CC_BY-SA-2.0
A lightly clad walker was rescued after getting lost in cool conditions on the Snowdonia mountains.
The man called for help when he became disoriented in cloud on the Carneddau range on Monday.
Police alerted Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation about 6pm.
Chris Lloyd of the team said: “Attempts by the team leader to get in contact with the man were thwarted by very poor reception on his mobile telephone.
“Without knowledge of whereabouts on this vast mountainous area the casualty might be, a pincer movement was employed by sending small search parties up possible descent routes.”
Cloud was cloaking the mountain tops from a height of about 900m (3,00ft) and there was a cool north-westerly breeze.
Mr Lloyd said: “As the man was reported to be wearing shorts and with no additional warm or windproof clothing, there was a degree on concern.
“As the search parties made their way to the high points, telephone communications were resumed. Shortly before 7pm, the man reported that he was descending steep screes into a valley unknown to him.
“Communications were then lost for a further hour as he had descended into a valley. This time he reported seeing a large working quarry and a setting sun. This placed him on the West of the Carneddau, at the lower ends of Cwm Pen-llafar or Cwm Caseg.”
The search party found the walker 45 minutes later and walked him back to a team vehicle. Mr Lloyd said: “Back at Oggi base, the 73-year-old man, lightly dressed, poorly shod and without map or compass, realised his errors.
“Previously he had climbed Carnedd Llewelyn and felt confident that he could remember the way despite the low cloud. His day started badly when he realised that he did not have a pair of walking boots with him so risked wearing lighter footwear, having travelled from East Lancashire.
“Team members then drove the man from Oggi base in the Ogwen Valley all the way round into the Conwy Valley and up into the remote Cwm Eigiau, where he had parked his car.”
The rescue was the Ogwen Valley team’s 50th callout of the year.
