2004

1

17 January

15:04

Seat Sandal above Dunmail Raise

A   man used his mobile phone to summon help when he became stuck in steep, loose, icy ground. He was not sure where he was but was located by telling us his car was by a large island in the middle of the road (Dunmail Raise) and that he could see our vehicle approaching from his right!

2

22 January

20:48

Carrock Mine, Mosedale

A man (71 yrs) failed to return home in Cockermouth. His wife raised the alarm but nobody knew where he had gone. His car was located by the police in Mosedale, whereupon a search involving over 50 rescuers, search dogs and mine rescue specialists was mounted. He was located 40' down a mine shaft having spent 10 hours there.   He had lowered himself down on a knotted rope but had been unable to climb back out. A fortunate end to a remarkable story!

3

28 January

12:55

Lodore Falls

A man (50 yrs) slipped on snow   and ice on the footpath behind the hotel. He was carried to the hotel by staff. We were requested to assist with transport to hospital due to the snowy roads and lack of an ambulance.

4

5 February

19:15

Central Fells

4 men called for assistance on a mobile phone, having become lost and benighted. Their poor map had led to navigational errors. They were found 3 km from their intended route (Scafell Pike) on Allen Crags.

5

21 February

  16:17

Shepherd's Crag - Adam

A climber (21 yrs) fell about 50' while leading the climb. He pendulumed and smashed his helmet against the cliff. He was taken by helicopter to Carlisle with head, chest and leg injuries. He was very fortunate as it turned out he escaped without any broken bones. The helmet certainly prevented a much worse outcome!

6

5 March

19:55

Helvellyn - Striding Edge

A joint operation involving 3 teams, search dogs and a helicopter located the body of a man (44 yrs) who had been traversing Striding Edge with his brother. After they had become separated on the Edge, the brother reached the summit and then spent some time in looking for him before descending back to the valley in the hope that he may have returned to the car.

7

17 March

01:50

Hanging Knotts, Bowfell

A search involving 4 mountain rescue teams looking for a man (26 yrs) who had become lost. He was located, cragfast. in the early hours. He was helped off and walked down.

8

18 March

18:40

Central Fells - Esk Hause

2 walkers (38 yrs) became lost on Scafell Pike. They had descended into Upper Esk where they were located by Wasdale MRT. Having escorted them to Esk Hause, Keswick MRT brought them back down to Borrowdale.

9

25 March

14:06

Yewdale Knott, Borrowdale

A lady (79 Yrs) slipped on wet grass and broke her ankle. An air amblulance in the area was used to take her to hospital. (See incident 11).

10

28 March

18:44

Great End area

A man (50 yrs) and his wife became lost in cloud. They were located in Calf Cove and escorted back down to Seathwaite. A birthday for the husband to remember!

11

1 April

13:04

Knotts, Borrowdale

A lady (68 yrs) slipped on wet grass and broke her ankle. She was taken by air ambulance to hospital. (See incident 9).

12

4 April

14:22

Blencathra - Sharp Edge

A walker called in because she had seen a couple of people shouting and seemingly in difficulties near the notch on Sharp Edge. Although the area was checked out by team members, nothing untoward was found. A false alarm with good intent.

13

9 April

17:09

Rosthwaite - Watendlath path

A man (79 yrs) ground to a halt while walking. Very painful hip joints prevented any further progress. He was carried down and transported to Keswick Cottage Hospital.

14

18 April

12:57

Castle Crag - Allerdale Ramble

A mountain biker (26 yrs) came off his bike during a fast descent and sustained amfractured pelvis. He was airlifted to hospital by a Sea King helicopter.

15

23 April

17:28

Taylorgill Force

A man (23 yrs) slipped on steep grass while trying to regain a lost footpath and sustained and broken ankle.

16

24 April

13:32

Greta Gorge cycle path

A cyclist (32 yrs) was found in a collapsed condition.   Despite the best efforts of passers by, an air ambulance and 2 doctors, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

17

5 May

19:30

Esk Hause shelter

A man (33 yrs) required assistance as he was suffering from exhaustion.

18

6 May

19:10

Shepherd's Crag - Grasp

A lead climber (40 yrs) fell 30' on to boulders. He fractured his pelvis, spine and heel.

19

8 May

18:10

Blencathra - Gate Gill

4 walkers (1 man and 3 women) required assistance after they became disoriented and lost in bad ground when they tried to escape from the Hall's Fell ridge.

20

10 May

14:38

Mosedale

2 men were injured when their helicopter made a crash landing following technical difficulties.

21

11 May

15:35

Dollywaggon Pike

A lady (70 yrs) fell backwards and broke her ankle.

22

11 May

19:12

Quayfoot Buttress - Aberration

A climber fell 25' while leading the climb, breaking both legs.

23

22 May

14:12

Grisedale Pike - Sleet How

A man (53 yrs) slipped and badly gashed his hand. As he was having difficulty in getting down, some passers by called the Team to assist.

24

22 May

14:35

Ashness to Falcon Crag path

A man (73 yrs) with a lung condition collapsed and was taken to hospital by helicopter.

25

27 May

23:50

Helvellyn

A man (28 yrs) was overdue.   A search was mounted by Patterdale and Keswick MRTs.   He was found at 5 am on the road.

26

31 May

10:32

Derwentwater - Calfclose Bay

A lady (71 yrs) fell and sustained a suspected fractured neck of femur.

27

3 June

11:00

Steel Fell

A walker fell while climbing up the steep gully on the front of the Fell. His friend tried to stop him and sustained a broken arm. In all, 4 of them were knocked down by the original faller.

28

4 June

17:17

Scafell Pike - Esk Hause area

A boy (9 yrs) became separated from his father.   The father stayed on the hill and the son made his own way back to Wasdale where the car was parked!

29

6 June

19:00

Styhead Tarn

A request from Wasdale MRT to assist with walking a man (29 yrs) from Styhead to Seathwaite. He was very tired due to his cerebral palsy.

30

15 June

17:19

Dob Gill - Binka Stone

A lady (46 yrs), wearing Scholl sandals, slipped and broke her ankle.

31

20 June

22:25

Helvellyn area

A man (46 yrs) left Keswick in a depressed state. After his car was located near Thirlmere, a search was mounted involving 3 teams and search dogs. He was found on the summit of Helvellyn in the early hours, waiting for his last sunrise.

32

26 June

23:58

Easedale - High Raise area

A group of 5 (16-17 yr old) D of E Bronze expeditioners went missing in poor weather conditions. They were last seen at Easedale Tarn at 1 pm on their way to Stickle Tarn over the tops. In a search involving 3 teams and search dogs, they were located camping at Easedale Tarn, believing they were at Stickle Tarn!

33

15 July

10:45

Grainsgill Beck, Mosedale

A man (56 yrs) had an epileptic fit and sustained cuts and bruises to his face when he fell.

34

15 July

13:32

Skiddaw summit plateau

A lady (52 yrs) slipped on wet rock  and sustained a badly gashed head and injured wrist. She was taken to hospital by Sea King helicopter.

35

15 July

18:10

Ullock Pike - Mirehouse path

2 walkers became cragfast in steep ground when taking the direct path down to the road.

36

19 July

16:30

Blackmoss Pot

A local 10 yr old boy dropped a rock on his foot while playing in the water, possibly causing a fracture.

37

21 July

16:09

Seathwaite - Hind Gill

A lady (30 yrs) slipped on the steep, rocky path and sustained a Potts fracture to her ankle.

38

3 August

20:48

Stoneycroft Gill

A 15 yr old girl broke her ankle while gill scrambling. She had stumbled backwards while her foot was jammed under a rock.

39

9 August

13:05

High Spy summit

A man (58 yrs) slipped on wet ground and broke his ankle.

40

14 August

13:50

Cat Bells - Hause Gate

A man (50 yrs) was reported to be having breathing difficulties. It may have been a coronary problem.

41

17 August

12:09

Blencathra - Sharp Edge

A man (51 yrs) slipped on the loose surface dislocating his shoulder while trying to arrest his fall into a gully. He was taken to hospital by helicopter.

42

18 August

18:30

Central Fells

We were requested to assist Wasdale MRT in locating 2 poorly-equipped walkers who had lost their way while descending Scafell Pike. They were located near Rough Crag with an insideout umbrella!

43

18 August

21:00

Great Gable

A young couple (30 yrs and 32 yrs) were reported to be overdue at Seathwaite. Although reported to be attempting Gt Gable, they had been encountered by rescuers during the previous search on the Scafell Pike route. As a consequence, they were quickly located and assisted from the fell.

44

31 August

14:35

Derwentwater - High Brandlehow

An Italian  man (* yrs) turned his ankle and sustained a fracture while walking with his young  family. We were requested to assist the ambulance crew with the carry to the wating ambulance on the road.

45

4 September

10:09

Smithy Green, Bassenthwaite

A man (58 yrs) was reported missing from home in Carlisle. His car was located by the side of Bassenthwaite Lake. A search was mounted involving 10 search dogs, 2 rescue boats to search the lake shore, a rescue helicopter  and 24 rescuers. Nothing was found. Following the sighting of a man with the same description near Embleton on the next day, Cockermouth MRT mounted a search with 7 dogs, a helicopter and rescuers, but it was later discovered that the sighting had been that of a vagrant! The body of the missing man was recovered from the lake on the afternoon of the 6th.

46

11 September

15:20

Force Crag area, Coledale

A girl (14 yrs) slipped and twisted her ankle in poor weather while taking part in a sponsored walk.

47

13 September

15:40

Ashness to Falcon Crag path

A lady (62 yrs) slipped on wet grass and broke her ankle.

48

5 October

13:52

High Spy - Nitting Haws

A man (62 yrs) slipped on wet rock and tumbled 10' - 20' down from the path sustaining 8 broken ribs and head injuries.   He was airlifted by helicopter to West Cumberland Hospital.
See letter.

49

8 October

12:32

Dale Head - north ridge

A woman (62 yrs) slipped and tumbled off the path.   She sustained various facial cuts.   We were at the top of the mountain and on scene within 21 minutes as the first team member, who lived down the valley, was able to hijack a private helicopter which had just landed.   However, the casualty declined a lift down as she was not happy with flying!

50

12 October

13:02

Force Crag area

A lady (67 yrs) slipped off the path and broke her ankle.   She was taken to hospital by Air Ambulance.

51

  17 October

15:45

Great Wood, Borrowdale

A man (46 yrs) under mental care ran off from his companion, not wishing to return to his nursing home.   He clearly wanted to make things difficult for his searchers, so the Team's effort was abandoned.

52

  17 October

22:43

Dale Head

3 walkers (including a male of 49 yrs) ran out of daylight after a long day and become lost.   They went to ground and were located at 01:00 hrs.

53

25 October

15:11

Esk Hause

A man (52 yrs) slipped on wet rock and dislocated his shoulder.   After having made Esk Hause, he went to ground and waited for assistance.

54

28 October

14:10

Maiden Moor

A man (46 yrs) collapsed and died whilst walking with his family.

55

  29 October

14:30

Esk Hause area

A man (21 yrs) was benighted while walking.   He was found on Bowfell in the early hours.

56

1 November

  18:22

King's How

A couple (62 yrs) lost the path and tried to make a direct descent to Grange. However, they became stuck in steep, broken ground and chose to call for assistance on their mobile phone.

57

13 November

12:32

High Rigg

A woman (63 yrs) slipped on icy grass and broke her ankle. This was the first sunny day for weeks!

58

13 November

12:34

Cat Bells

A woman slipped off the path near the summit and broke her ankle. A team member was with her within minutes of the call for help because he happened to be on the summit of Cat Bells! She was assisted back to the summit where she was airlifted by the Great North Air Ambulance to Carlisle.

59

14 November

11:51

Green Gable, Windy Gap

A man (60 yrs) collapsed on the path while returning from the annual Remembrance Day service on the summit of Great Gable. He was stretchered down to Sty Head Tarn where the Great North Air Ambulance was waiting beneath (or was it in) the cloud. Members from Keswick and Wasdale MRTs were quickly on scene as they, too, had been to the service.

60

21 November

14:40

Force Crag area

A pregnant lady slipped on ice and broke her wrist.   Conveniently for her, an RAF rescue helicopter was training in the area and whisked her off to hospital before the Team got very far.

61

14 December

20:40

Central Fells

When two brothers (21 & 29 yrs) hadn't returned home in Barrow after a walk to Scafell Pike, the alarm was raised.  Their car was found at Wasdale Head.  In addition to the Keswick team, Wasdale, SARDA dogs and Duddon  & Furness MRTs were involved in the search and subsequent rescue.  The two walkers had descended Scafell Pike via Lingmel Col and then taken a wrong turning down Pier's Gill.  After descending all the waterfall pitches they eventually could go no further when they came to the top of the 60-foot waterfall pitch.  They were both wet through, mildly hypothermic and one had injured his leg when he fell on the last pitch.  They were stuck in the Gill for 13 hours and were rescued at around 04.00 hrs on the Monday morning.  The walker with the injured leg was flown to West Cumberland Hospital.

62

19 December

13:58

Stoneycroft Gill

A man (42 yrs) slipped on ice and broke his ankle. He was taken by air ambulance to Carlisle Hospital.

63

  23 December

13:35

Whinlatter Forest

A request to assist the ambulance service which had been called to attend a mountain biker (51 yrs) who had come to grief, breaking his wrist.

64

29 December

16:12

Dale Head Crags

A man (39 yrs) slipped on wet rock and broke his leg.