The woman took shelter in an old goods wagon on the Old Coach Road, Great Dodd. Photo: Trevor Littlewood CC-BY-SA-2.0
A walker was rescued from a Lakeland fell after her headtorch failed in the dark.
The 52-year-old was walking on Great Dodd at the northern end of the Helvellyn range yesterday when she became benighted.
Keswick Mountain Rescue Team was called out about 7pm after the walker rang for help.
A team spokesperson said: “She reported herself as sheltering in an old goods wagon used for a sheep shelter, close to the Old Coach Road.
“The team sent a small group and a search dog to locate her, which proved more problematic than expected because of the poor visibility and wind.”
After being found, the walker was driven to Hill Top Farm, St John’s in the Vale, where she was reunited with her husband.
The 1½-hour rescue, the team’s 94th of the year, involved six volunteer team members.
Karl D. Mather
09 December 2013I always carry a torch when on the hills, but rarely use it as the light spoils my night vision. I find that my vision is restricted to the area within the torch beam & also when it's snowing I get reflection. Find it's best to restrict torch use to when it is completely dark, (rarely) or for when you need to complete a task. Seems there's something else wrong as well as the missing torch, walkers overtired & clumbsy, not looking where they are going in the first place.
Maybe walkers should be advised to calm down when benighted, wait get their bearings, walk slowly in darkness, but if ground uneven hold torch close to ground?
Lilo
09 December 2013And carry a spare key chain type 10g...where was her light bivi bag and down jacket to bivi the night out?
Lilo
09 December 2013Key chain type TORCH to above message
Lilo
09 December 2013There's an APP also you can download on your phone with 3 levels of brightness, also GPS, grid ref. App etc for navigation or call ours that doesn't need a phone signal if you put GPS on
Katie
09 December 2013Lilo- not everyone takes a down jacket into the hills, I certainly don't unless on a cold, crisp day. Key chain torch would be difficult to see much more than your own feet with but no distance. I always carry a head torch, spare batteries and a spare head torch in summer and winter. Although several years ago a friend and I managed to leave all torches except one measly elite out of our bags. Finishing the final pitch of our climb in the dark with only the leader carrying to torch and the second fumbling in the dark was a lesson as was our very slow descent from the hill.
I sometimes leave it late to put my torch on as it destroys night vision, however, whilst you can see fairly well sometimes without a torch, it's almost impossible to read a map without a torch.
Sheepy
10 December 2013I'm slightly confused here.
I can understand being off piste without a torch would be difficult or on potentially dangerous ground.
The points I would make are as Katie says, always carry a spare torch and or batteries.
Secondly, walking on a fairly wide track should not be too difficult even without a torch. That track only goes in 2 directions East or West. Why couldn't she just carry on on the track and she could have got where she was going, surely?
Is this track very rough or uneven?
Adam
13 December 2013"Secondly, walking on a fairly wide track should not be too difficult even without a torch............."
"Is this track very rough or uneven?"
My thoughts exactly! From memory that track is a "motorway"
It sounds as if the walker was prepared (except for the batteries) A failure of confidence maybe?
Adam