New series! Got an outdoors question? Get the answer from an outdoors professional.
Professional Mountain Leader, Kate Worthington will be answering
your outdoor questions weekly on OM. Along with her husband Ross, Kate
runs RAW Adventures offering professional mountain leadership services.
She's generally found outdoors, toting a big pack... Ask a question
This week's question:
'What to do if your friend
doesn't come off the hill'
Them: "So,
I'll see you in the pub tonight some time..."
You:
"Excellent - where you off to today? On your own?"
Them:
"Err...not sure, see where the path takes me."
You: "Ok, no
worries...don't miss last orders?!"
Some time later... So,
10pm comes round and you're sitting in the pub like a lemon...yes,
you've found a random local to talk to, but who else can buy you a beer
now? You've been hauled 300 miles up north to a sodden campsite in
middle of nowhere - but tonight you'd rather be in the pub.
Trouble is, you really don't have a clue where you are - what was that
postcode for the satnav again - and you have no idea where your
drinking buddy is...
What do you do?
This is worst case scenario stuff and if you're ever left on the
ground... you really should be clued up as to what your mate is up to.
The ultimate responsibility lies with the walker(s) to leave route
details with someone and an ETA (you need to know how to work this out).
Don't rely on dodgy mobile reception to call each other.
Agree a time you'll be down - including 'faff' time for
stopping/bad weather etc- stick to the plan and agree a course of
action should you be more than, say, three hours over your
ETA.
You should stay at your agreed meeting point (in case you wander in
desperate for a pint with a story to tell) but ultimately, they have
the responsibility to act in such a situation.
What next?
With the right information, your mate in the pub can make an informed
decision - outside help should be sought if you are seriously worried
about someone coming off the hill.
If there's been no contact and they've not come down in their agreed
time window at least you can inform Mountain Rescue where they might
be... How do you do that? Just dial '999' and ask for
Mountain Rescue.
No mates? Even
if you're off on your own, you should arrange to call someone at home
once you're off the hill. As a back-up, consider leaving a note visible
in the windscreen of your car, make sure it's dated and include route
details, but don't rely on it. And make sure your car is empty of
valuables for obvious reasons...
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RAW Adventures
is an exciting new company dedicated to providing well organised,
friendly and safe UK mountain events. We run Walking Weekends
for all abilities - keeping group sizes small for safety and
fun. We also organise larger scale Challenge Events for
charities and individuals wanting to raise money while doing something
that pushes you harder than usual!
Owned and operated by experienced and professional Mountain Leaders,
Kate and Ross Worthington, you are in safe hands for learning new
skills and broadening your own experience of the UK mountains. www.raw-adventures.co.uk |
