Incident
20 in 2005
Type
Location
Wastwater Screes

Call from Workington Police regarding two people reported to be stuck on the Scree path, informant at the WasdaleYHA Hostel. The Team Leader rang the informant and found that the Hostel Manager had already set off in a Canadian canoe to attempt a pick up in that. Rather than set a full team boat rescue into full swing the Team Leader decided to go to the Wasdale YHA and see what (if any) further action needed to be taken. In the meantime, he also got three other team members manning Mill Forge Base and preparing our boat for action. On arriving at the lake, it became apparent that the Hostel Manager had indeed reached the two stuck walkers and had got them on board his boat. He was paddling back round the lake, keeping very close to the edge all the way round. Conditions were flat calm but with spells of heavy rain. The Team Leader stayed long enough to get details for the Police but Mill Forge was stood down. The two were from the Manchester area. One of them had experienced difficulty with slippery rocks and poor light, whilst the other had stayed with her to keep her company until help arrived. Incident closed at about 11.30pm. Postscript – last year there was an event when two people got picked up by one canoeist, who then capsized half way across the lake. One of the two had a broken leg! The Team Leader had thought at the time that it involved a singlekayak but the YHA Hostel manager told him more about that incident. It seems that someone staying at the hostel had in fact borrowed one of their Canadians. He’d picked up the two walkers but had them sat quiet upright and with a high centre of gravity, making the vessel unstable. When they capsized the Hostel manager had been the one who then went out in another Canadian to get all three out of the water.

Incident started at 21:45.

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