At around 12:30 a.m. volunteers from the Team were made aware of a hiker believed to be missing on Cader Idris.
The 47 year old man had set off from his holiday base near Betws y Coed at around lunchtime on Wednesday with the intention of climbing the mountain, but when he failed to return and his phone was going straight to answerphone, his wife alerted the Police. In order to identify whether the man had actually got as far as Cader Idris, and if so, which route had he taken up the mountain, North Wales Police Officers searched the most likely sites, and his car was located at the Minffordd car park.
Team call-handlers, along with North Wales Police operatives, tried to piece together as much information as possible about the man's activity, intentions, experience and equipment, but with heavy rain forecast and with very little to go on, it was decided to start by searching the three most likely routes up the mountain from Minffordd.
The first two parties of volunteers were dispatched to seach Cwm Cau, the South Ridge and summit and were just approaching the cwm when they encountered the man asleep in the middle of the path. Disorientated and a little cold, the man was escorted with a little assistance down off the mountain. Everyone was back at vehicles by around 3:00 a.m.
According to the man, he had been navigating using his mobile, and had reached the summit. On his descent the phone had stopped working, and although he managed to find the path he was benighted and unable to proceed.
On arrival back at the carpark the man was given warm drinks, and advised that, given his clear state of exhaustion, he should take some time to warm up in his car, and get some rest before attempting the 45 min drive back to his base. The man drove away before the last of the Team had left the scene.
Graham O'Hanlon attended the rescue. "In mountain rescue, and perhaps against expectation, there is often not a single catastrophic event, but instead a series of unfortunate incidents that the experienced mountaineer would take in their stride, but which catch out the unprepared. This was was a good example of such a cascade. Making use of electronic devices on the hill is now commonplace, but they can and do fail or run out of power. Without any kind of back-up in terms of map and compass, the loss of navigational aids will undoubtedly have contributed to the extended journey time experienced by the walker. This in turn led to him being benighted, and with no torch, and no phone to use as a torch, he was unable to proceed. Having left no clear plan of his destination or intended route, this may have delayed his partner from raising the alarm, and cost valuable time spent in searching for his car. The forecasted heavy rain arrived shortly after we got down off the mountain, and if he had been forced to endure a night in those conditions, the outcome would have been significantly worse."
"In this particular case, the lack of a simple emergency torch meant the man was unable to self-rescue, cost 14 volunteers a night's sleep, and could have ultimately cost the casualty his life. We strongly encourage all walkers who take to the hills to take responsibility for their own safety by equipping themselves appropriately, and by telling someone where they have gone and when they expect to be back."
The 47 year old man had set off from his holiday base near Betws y Coed at around lunchtime on Wednesday with the intention of climbing the mountain, but when he failed to return and his phone was going straight to answerphone, his wife alerted the Police. In order to identify whether the man had actually got as far as Cader Idris, and if so, which route had he taken up the mountain, North Wales Police Officers searched the most likely sites, and his car was located at the Minffordd car park.
Team call-handlers, along with North Wales Police operatives, tried to piece together as much information as possible about the man's activity, intentions, experience and equipment, but with heavy rain forecast and with very little to go on, it was decided to start by searching the three most likely routes up the mountain from Minffordd.
The first two parties of volunteers were dispatched to seach Cwm Cau, the South Ridge and summit and were just approaching the cwm when they encountered the man asleep in the middle of the path. Disorientated and a little cold, the man was escorted with a little assistance down off the mountain. Everyone was back at vehicles by around 3:00 a.m.
According to the man, he had been navigating using his mobile, and had reached the summit. On his descent the phone had stopped working, and although he managed to find the path he was benighted and unable to proceed.
On arrival back at the carpark the man was given warm drinks, and advised that, given his clear state of exhaustion, he should take some time to warm up in his car, and get some rest before attempting the 45 min drive back to his base. The man drove away before the last of the Team had left the scene.
Graham O'Hanlon attended the rescue. "In mountain rescue, and perhaps against expectation, there is often not a single catastrophic event, but instead a series of unfortunate incidents that the experienced mountaineer would take in their stride, but which catch out the unprepared. This was was a good example of such a cascade. Making use of electronic devices on the hill is now commonplace, but they can and do fail or run out of power. Without any kind of back-up in terms of map and compass, the loss of navigational aids will undoubtedly have contributed to the extended journey time experienced by the walker. This in turn led to him being benighted, and with no torch, and no phone to use as a torch, he was unable to proceed. Having left no clear plan of his destination or intended route, this may have delayed his partner from raising the alarm, and cost valuable time spent in searching for his car. The forecasted heavy rain arrived shortly after we got down off the mountain, and if he had been forced to endure a night in those conditions, the outcome would have been significantly worse."
"In this particular case, the lack of a simple emergency torch meant the man was unable to self-rescue, cost 14 volunteers a night's sleep, and could have ultimately cost the casualty his life. We strongly encourage all walkers who take to the hills to take responsibility for their own safety by equipping themselves appropriately, and by telling someone where they have gone and when they expect to be back."