Must be memory loss as Ceasar said as for the life of me I don’t ever remember reading this account of that night until I saw the link in your latest repeat report
My own recollection of that day, a day I had headed up Creag Pitridh with the intention of then continuing to Geal Charn (which became a bit of a nemesis for me
). Geal Charn had to wait as despite it being superb weather, the deep snow took its toll ascending Pitridh and about turn from the summit. My last pic of that day was at 1420 hrs on descent showing heavy weather coming in and no doubt encroaching already on the Easains. Seen below.
I was back at the car when the call came in from Tomsie, ‘you’ll have to call MRT as we’re lost !’ ‘Your joking’ I replied. It sounded serious. I made the call, and made my way to Fersit, a short hop down the road. It was already dark and I received a call back from the police asking me for Tomsies phone number which I had, but without glasses in the dim light from TB1’s internal light had trouble reading it, but got there in the end.
The FB chatter had started and I kept that up to date, having found the guys cars parked a short distance before the car park at the road end. By now the weather was raining heavily on top of deep snow covered ground. Despite the FB chatter I knew I couldn’t just sit there and headed up finding footprints at least as a clue to the start given I was without map for the area. I guess adrenalin kicks in, as I moved quickly despite abandoning my planned walk for the day. The heavy rain made it heavy going, in the dark and I plotted points on the GPS en route to secure my way back.
After some time I got another call from the police, asking me to come off the hill, which I obliged and was met back at the cars by the police who gave me a talk on what would I have done had my GPS failed, both compasses got lost etc etc.
Some hours later the police returned with Tomsie and Ceasar in the car.
From discussions with the police on the guys location when traced via mobile signals by the MRT, it appeared I was within half a mile of the guys, although didn’t know it at the time I came off. Ceasar recognised me when they arrived but it took Tomsie a while before he did, the cold and no doubt hypothermia taking its toll, or maybe I’m just not that memorable
But has been said, relieved that you both came off relatively unscathed.
I’m sure you learnt from this having gone over it many times. Each has their own limitations, governed by their own choices, experience, equipment etc. Many folk will walk all the Munros barely getting their waterproofs out or ever veering off a well-trodden route, that is by choice and nothing wrong with that. For myself I have gone out regardless of weather, forecast or not, preferring my own judgement on what is achievable or not. I have always believed that you only gain experience by being out in a variety of conditions as weather can be fickle and unless you choose and determine correctly to walk on blue sky days, you run that risk of being caught out when the ‘experts’ are wrong. Such experience will help prepare for the worst, and no shame in that. In your case a number of seemingly irrelevant events culminated in a more serious affair.
But as I said you will have learnt, although knowing you guys well enough as with others, you probably knew all this already.
Key one for me is study of the map before any walk. I’ve said it a few times, came easy for me as I had a fascination for maps from an early age, well before I started walking. But by doing so, not only gives you an intimate knowledge of your route, but safe escape routes by which I don’t mean a specific path or whatever else but just a general direction towards safe terrain. For anyone unable to grasp this, try marking the map for obvious dangers, escapes and even your proposed route etc, but practice until you can practically have an image in your head, so that you could virtually do it without a map.
The conditions that night would have made objects appear further away than they were, a feature of snowy ground in poor visibility, but again something that cautionary practice can only improve.
There is no such thing as lost, just temporarily misplaced, but as with any form of navigation, you cant know where to go if you don’t know where you are. You guys have walked in various conditions and I’m sure you will again. I know I did, Geal Charn was trying to tell me something that day, it tried to tell me again on the second failed attempt and again on the third successful attempt. Familiarity doesn’t need to breed contempt, it can help to improve techniques, and a deep understanding of your individual capabilities, more so when walking alone as you are most definitely more acutely aware of your surroundings.
Good on you guys for persevering and getting through it and big relief I recall, although not sure a pint of Guiness was what Tomdie needed
and not at quarter past midnight
