Fellwalking

A man phone to say he was cragfast. Speaking to him suggested that he might be on Heron Pike. We were able to determine that he was probably on a north facing slope. After a prolonged search involving 4 mountain rescue teams and 2 SARDA dogs, he was located on very steep ground below Hart Crag. He was very cold and very stuck. He was evacuated up to better ground and then escorted off. The weather was very poor, being very wet and windy. Many other parties were encountered abandoning their routes, some of whom were heading in the wrong direction.

Sometimes you take people's word for things and other times you have reason to distrust them. A man reported his friend as having sustained a suspected fractured ankle near the summit of Fairfield. In fact just a few hundred metres south of the summit. Maybe it was that the man didn't have a map, or maybe it was the description of a location near a wall, but something made us doubtful that he knew what he was talking about. We located them just below the summit of High Pike and the injured man was treated by team members.

A woman was reported as suffering suspected appendicitis, complicated by being pregnant. They were camped at Codale tarn, as part of a large group. The team was mobilised and set off. A helicopter was requested and overtook us as the first team members approached the Tarn. The woman was airlifted to Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle.

A man was reported as collapsed from hypothermia at Three Tarns. He was in a sleeping bag and bivvi bag. The team was dispatched and a helicopter was requested. We were overtaken by the helicopter while on The Band and the casualty was airlifted off.

A woman phoned for help after becoming lost on Crinkle Crags in mist. She was given directions to try and find Three Tarns. Three hours later she had made little or no progress to anywhere useful, and was becoming cold and distressed, so we gave up and sent the team to look for her. She was located at 7pm just north of Long Top and escorted back to civilisation.

A party of three men were halted when one of them was unable to continue because of a reoccurrence of an old leg injury. We located them and stretchered the injured one down to the valley. It was a fine spring day!!

The team was requested to assist Kendal MRT with a casualty on Ill Bell with serious chest injuries. The man was airlifted off by RAF helicopter.

We were requested by the North West Ambulance Service to assist on Rydal lake shore. We were stood down en-route after the casualty was able to walk to the ambulance.

A man was reported several hours overdue from a walk. His car was traced to Kirkstone Pass car park by Police, and a search was organised. The trailing dog was able to point us to the Red Screes side of the road. Sadly, after a search of the area, a man's body was located, high on the fellside, around 11pm. He was recovered to Ambleside.

A man in his 70's collapsed feeling faint and nauseous on the path up to Helm Crag. An air ambulance was called and the team attended. After checking over he was persuaded to walk down with us and go to hospital with us.

A man slipped on wet ground and sustained a suspected ankle fracture. He was treated by team members, and evacuated with help from Kendal MRT

A young male collapsed while walking with a group. It was difficult to work out exactly what was wrong with him, so he was evacuated by air ambulance to Carlisle after initial treatment by team members.

A couple became cragfast on their first walk in the Lake District. They were guided back to the path and escorted down.

A man reported finding a slightly injured dog near Angle Tarn. Concerned that its owner was lying injured somewhere, he phoned the Police. After a discussion, it was decided that it was probably a lost working dog, and if left alone would find its own way home. It seemed unlikely that anyone was injured.

A couple phoned for help when they got lost on Crinkle Crags, after backtracking when they couldn't descend the Bad Step. They were guided to Three Tarns and found their own way off from there.

A woman sustained a suspected ankle fracture when she slipped on wet ground. She was treated by the team and taken to hospital by her husband on their own car.

A man phoned for help after apparently suffering a leg injury near Ore Gap. He was in mist, and not entirely sure of his position. The team was mobilised, and due to the extreme weather that was forecast, we requested assistance from a RAF helicopter. The helicopter managed to get to the man through a break in the mist and lift him off, saving us from having to go all the way up. Despite his leg injury, he managed to walk to the helicopter, and out at the other end, so it would seem that the mist and uncertain location was closer to the real problem.

Two poorly equipped men became stuck somewhere on Crinkle Crags and phoned for help. They only had lightweight fleeces and waterproofs and the weather was as poor as predicted, with very strong winds and heavy rain. They had been heading north to Three Tarns, but having got in to difficulty around the Bad Step, decided to retrace their route to Red Tarn. They then became lost. They were located on Little Stand, some distance from their last known position and very cold and wet. Their evacuation was complicated by their cold and fatigue and a couple of swollen river crossings.

A woman slipped and sustained a serious ankle fracture while descending Orrest Head. An ambulance was initially called, and an air ambulance was tasked and we were requested to attend to help with treatment and to move the casualty from the accident site to the air ambulance.

A woman from Warrington, part of a large rambling club, slipped on a wet path while descending from Bracken Hause and sustained a suspected fractured ankle. She was treated and stretchered to the valley floor, then transferred on to hospital.

A tale of two men, two mountains and two days. Sometimes you go up one mountain and by some quirk of fate, accidentally climb another. Two men went up Crinkle Crags on Friday, became disorientated and reported themselves lost, cold and unable to find a way down. An initial search of Crinkle Crags was organised, followed by a more extensive search of Bowfell as well, after we failed to locate them. With four SARDA dogs and Wasdale MRT helping out, they were eventually located at the north end of Bowfell.

A man reported his two companions as suffering from hypothermia on the summit of Crinkle Crags. A search was organised, because he was uncertain exactly where they were, which is no surprise, since they were eventually located on Bowfell. The two casualties were cajoled on to their feet and all were escorted down The Band. We were assisted by Kendal MRT. A combination of poor judgement, poor equipment, and poor navigation combined to cause this incident.

Two men were reported overdue back at their hotel in Keswick by their wives, having set off from Langdale to complete a trip over Crinkle Crags. They failed to return. Their car was located in Langdale and a subsequent search, assisted by Wasdale MRT and SARDA located the men near Heron Crag, Eskdale. They were found by members of Wasdale MRT finding their way by the light of their mobile phone and making very slow progress. They were returned to their car for the journey back to their hotel. Team members were able to return to their beds around 1am.

A woman was reported as injured and in need of help. She had been up on the hill for a while, and had been found by the Police who requested our help because she had a back injury and was very cold. She was evacuated to the road and transferred to an ambulance.

Light were reported in the Raven Crag area, seemingly struggling to find a way through the crags. When investigated, it turned out that they had made their way of the crag and out of the area.

A 27-year-old woman sustained a lower leg injury when she slipped on wet and frozen ground. She was treated and evacuated.

While the previous rescue was in full flow we were alerted to another incident involving a 16-year-old girl from a party of 13 who had fallen around 100metres down the fellside while the party were descending from Yoke. She suffered head, neck, chest and leg injuries. Other team members, not already involved with the previous rescue were dispatched, and along with a request to Kendal MRT and the helicopter to assist.

A 59-year-old man suffered a suspected heart problem, with chest pains and nausea reported. The team was dispatched immediately, along with a request for a helicopter to attend. There was a little confusion as to the location, with it given as Hanging Knotts, but the grid reference given put it on the north summit of Bowfell. The latter was correct. The helicopter arrived on scene first, and airlifted the man to hospital, while team members located the rest of the party, and walked back down with them.

A pair of walkers reported themselves in difficulty as mist descended. They thought they were between Harrison Stickle and Pike O'Stickle. With darkness approaching it was decided that a quick daylight search was the order of the day. The were located (in the dark) between Thunacar Knott and High Raise (!) and escorted to the valley floor.

During the preliminary checks on the previous incident, a police officer spotted some lights on Blake Rigg which appeared to be people struggling to find a way over difficult terrain. Additional team members were sent to investigate, but it became clear that there was probably nothing wrong when all the lights suddenly moved uphill en-mass. Probably trainees on a night navigation exercise.