Lessons Learnt – A Night to Forget

[gld73]

Great report, and the graphic was a useful addition!

I've had a terrifying slide on ice, been disorientated in the clouds, followed a frozen stream instead of a path, had later than intended starts resulting in the need for walking in the dark with a headtorch .... but not all in one walk!! It made for a cracking read, glad you came through it okay!


[note to self: do the Mullardochs on a long summer day, with someone else, and in no cloud ]

[ScotFinn65]

What a gripping read (based on a terrifying experience).

I am basically a novice but recognize the generic thought process which you went through, so strikes a chord.

You might just have saved someone from a nasty fall, or worse, by sharing this report.

Thanks for taking the time and effort to share.

(Glad you made it)

[Sgurr]

Hope this gets picked as TR of the month. It deserves to be on several levels.

[rockhopper]

A great read ! There but for the grace of God - glad you made it back OK. So easy to take a bearing, start on it, only for doubt to start to creep in - thanks for posting - cheers

[Huff_n_Puff]

A couple of night ago I recounted your report in the pub to some friends who are sailors - they recognised the decision making process that starts with a small error of judgement compounded by subsequent small errors which together mount up into serious danger. This led us into a long reflective discussion of what we are doing when we challenge ourselves on sea or land. Hopefully your honesty and riveting reporting will make life safer for all of us involved in that discussion - as had been said before there but for fortune ...

A very big thank you and glad you made it back to write more trip reports

[andygunn23]

What an overwhelmingly positive response, one that I honestly did not expect. Massive thanks to all your comments, similar stories and well-wishes. I have tried to reply to most of the responses, but there is a good chance I may have missed some, so apologies if I did!

...but in my head I knew I would be ok, even if MrsR was probably going nuts.

Interesting point, I do often worry about being back later and knowing I'm safe but just unable to contact whoever is waiting at the other end from me. Often I will just add hours onto my expected return time, only risk is they'd feel like a long couple of hours if I did really need help!.

And hope she appreciated the flowers after all that.

Thanks for the response! Haha, I think so and hopefully there won't be another need to buy them again (well not in similar circumstances anyway!).

Thanks for posting and I am with you on flowers - expensive luxury, but am sure they worked.

Delighted someone agrees with the flower opinion .

I posted a report of an experience of mine a few years ago, on Ben Lui, which has some similarities, especially in the sequence of errors and misjudgements. Like you I was expecting a fair amount of flak from those that read it, but responses were supportive. https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=59178

Tremendous report! Always makes me nervous reading about others adventures. The risk of avalanches was giving me the fear just reading that. Agree in the similarities and I bet it was a relief to get back to the car. I have very similar thoughts in regards to MRT - almost embarrassment about potentially needing them. I do wonder what I would have done if I had phone signal, maybe it would have been nice just to hear someone talk me through the sensible options...

Thank you for sharing. Quite an adventure, and a really well written report and self-analysis that might just make a difference to one of us one day.

Wow, thanks!

Wiser advice would be to treat any forecast with a pinch of salt and, in winter at least, always be prepared for the worst conditions.

Great point. I am normally typically Scottish in my pessimism around the likelihood of the weather forecast being good, or accurate. I do wonder what difference it would make if weather forecasts could become 99% accurate in the future? I think this may have been a result of being "stuck" inside over the Christmas & New Year period and being more hopeful than normal.

I've done this far too often - "...it's notoriously difficult for us to temper our desires with an adequate dose of sober realism".

The other thing I've done oh so often is to trust instinct rather than the compass - and of course, instinct is always wrong. Fortunately, after many many mainly embarassing rather than excessively dangerous lessons, I'm much better now in trusting only my compass...

That first sentence sums up my experience & thoughts perfectly.

Also agree with instinct over compass and I always thought I would stick with my bearing, but when a "path" looks so well trodden I just assumed it'd sweep round and re-join my bearing at some point. In reality I shouldn't have taken the risk, similar to if there is a snow covering and no path, the safer option would be to take a bearing, count me steps and just go slow and steady. Most definitely a lesson learnt.

Not to mention the number of times in the past, lesson now learnt, where I've walked off a summit in the wrong direction convinced of the direction I came up. A few minutes sitting eating etc and its all been spun round

Yes, I have done this before, but thankfully never in a dangerous situation. The worst part is always retracing my steps past the perplexed looking people who were on the summit and admitting my error!

You might just have saved someone from a nasty fall, or worse, by sharing this report.

Thanks, really appreciated.

This led us into a long reflective discussion of what we are doing when we challenge ourselves on sea or land. Hopefully your honesty and riveting reporting will make life safer for all of us involved in that discussion - as had been said before there but for fortune ...

A very big thank you and glad you made it back to write more trip reports

I am sure each and every time I am out with others we end in a deep discussion about, "why do we do this"; normally as we are getting battered by the weather or struggling massively!

Thanks, and I am hopeful I never have to write another similar report.

[Coop]

The title is probably what should stand out.
"Lessons learnt" -
I've learnt the hard way twice now - both totally different curcunstances, once getting lost and once a bad fall. Almost immediately I came off the hill on both occasions I looked at my kit, food water, rehydration etc, my approach/ way of thinking, timings, daylight, distance etc.
I believe I learnt a few lessons and hopefully rectified a few things.
Great report and probably tough to recount and put into words properly.
Hopefully more read it .
Cheers

[kevsbald]

Thanks for a very honest account of your near miss. I too have had a similar experience which I posted several years ago. Valuable experience. We learn from our mistakes if we are lucky enough.

[bigkeith]

Brilliant report, Andy. That slide sounds terrifying! Winter turns the hills into mountains and although things went a bit sideways for you this time, you had the skills, attitude and kit to recover. I avoid winter hillwalking (just personal choice, I can definitely see the attraction) but for me I'd say the most important lesson learned would be number 7: stop and collect yourself. It's so easy to say when you're sat on the sofa having a mug of tea . Thanks for sharing your experience.

[dms78]

Thanks Andy,

This is one of the best reports I have read, and not because I took any pleasure reading about your misfortunes but as a healthy reminder to us all to be fully prepared kit wise and also to not let our egos get in the way of our safety.

Really need to get my finger out now and start contributing by writing my own walk reports... and buying more flowers!