Teenagers found cold, tired and frightened on DofE walk

[Laurentius]

Spare sim from another company might help, orange/t mobile do all right for west brecons. Smart phones can give a gps reference and baring which is usefull if you can get an emergency signal so help can easily locate a position

I am with orange/T mobile, nowadays it is called EE. Thing is when you are in the shadow of the mountains, you can't get anything, you have to be sufficiently high up or near somewhere urban in my experience.

I have lost my track higher up on Snowdon too, when the mist comes down well it is not hard to wander off, not so far as to get lost but to find the footing difficult of the main path. Saw someone slip up there too, could have been nasty but fortunately it wasn't.

 

[Harvestman]

I've been thinking of this one, and it occurs to me that recognising that they were lost, was a skill in itself.
There must be a tremendous temptation to just carry on, sure that you'll find the route again; that you can pull yourself back on line.
Takes a kind of courage to say, "stop", and sit down and wait.
I think their Instructor will be both worried and pleased with them, and like the others I hope it doesn't put them off.

cheers,
M

Recognising that you are not quite where you thought you were is most certainly a skill, and a very useful one. The sooner you realise that something is wrong, the sooner you can do something about it, like backtracking, working out where you actually are, or sitting tight and not getting any more lost than you are already. I've been lost once or twice, or at least made navigational errors, and these mistakes can be costly in time and effort, and therefore tiring. Learning to listen to that little voice in the back of my head that is telling me that something is not quite right has helped me a lot over many years of wandering.

These girls should be commended for their sensible actions that enabled them to be found easily and safely.

 

[petrochemicals]

I'm imagining cold, tired and frightened was because of the inability to log on to facebook. Very well administered is the Duke ofE, just shows what telling someone where your going can do, as seen in many rescue, and not seen in many disaster senarios.

The black mountains you say .............. sounds very remote,,,,,,.

 

[Lister]

mobile operator makes no odds, if you're doing to take a mobile then take the time to learn about 112, find it hard to believe that the phone had no signal, using 999 maybe that would be true, but 112 should've worked irrespective of signal.

 

[wingstoo]

mobile operator makes no odds, if you're doing to take a mobile then take the time to learn about 112, find it hard to believe that the phone had no signal, using 999 maybe that would be true, but 112 should've worked irrespective of signal.

I heard that 999 and 112 has the same effect.

http://www.mobilebanter.co.uk/uk-mobile-phones/46380-112-vs-999-a.html

No signal isn't as rare as folks seem to believe, Three years ago myself and a couple of work colleagues went up Snowdon, in the thick mist and drizzly rain we had no signals on our phones a lot of the time. I received a "Beep beep" and saw an incoming text from swmbo, it was a good two/threehours before I got a signal to reply. Even in the café at the top we couldn't get a signal.

 

[Bluffer]

Another scenario:

One of a group (or a lone hiker) is immobilised by injury, possibly something as simple as a twisted ankle.
He/she activates their personal locator beacon, which uses GSM or satellite signal whichever is the strongest in that area.
The beacon gives their exact position and because it is worn on the wrist, it also transmits the heart-rate of the casualty.
Emergency services monitor the casualties condition remotely whilst an unmanned aerial vehicle flies out to recover them.
CCTV on-board sends footage of the injury to a consultant in emergency medicine, who then decides which hospital can deal with that injury and contacts them to prepare a reception/surgical team.

All of that technology already exists, it just needs bringing together in one package.

Until then, a map and mobile phone is the working solution for most of us.

 

[British Red]

Looks like they did all the right things - they had a route card so people knew where they were, they had a tent to keep out of the wind and the worst of the cold, they knew when to hunker down. They had a phone which is great - but (and I think this is the point raised) not to be relied upon. Batteries fail, signals are non existent in places, things get lost or damaged. There are certainly still many places where no phone signal can be obtained (not even the "SOS" signal) - our last cottage for one! A phone may well save you and its a sensible thing to have - but its no substitute for a route card, a shelter and some good training. I think the girls, and whoever taught them these skills, are to be commended. I have had hypothermia and your reasoning goes fast. They showed great sense in not letting a bad situation become a desperate one - good on them.

 

[Stringmaker]

Years ago I did a kind of Outward Bound course in the lakes with my company.

The culmination of it was a four day self-supported hike back to the base in our (separate) tent groups from different drop off points. Like the girls in this story, we had spent a long time on the route cards and checkpoints for messages (No phones at all back then, never mind no signal). We didn't have any trouble but the importance of the instructors knowing roughly when to expect us at a camp was drummed firmly home.

 

[rik_uk3]

Looks like they did all the right things - they had a route card so people knew where they were, they had a tent to keep out of the wind and the worst of the cold, they knew when to hunker down. They had a phone which is great - but (and I think this is the point raised) not to be relied upon. Batteries fail, signals are non existent in places, things get lost or damaged. There are certainly still many places where no phone signal can be obtained (not even the "SOS" signal) - our last cottage for one! A phone may well save you and its a sensible thing to have - but its no substitute for a route card, a shelter and some good training. I think the girls, and whoever taught them these skills, are to be commended. I have had hypothermia and your reasoning goes fast. They showed great sense in not letting a bad situation become a desperate one - good on them.

Carry a spare battery or two. Next time your in a spot with no signal, try and send a text message, they will often work when a voice call won't.

At our spot in Sennybridge vodafone is crap, O2 works well, 3 is non existent so make sure your phone is unlocked and carry a spare sim card for a different network provider.

There is no signal at the bushmoot we were told but I got a perfect signal by the toilet block so moving even a few metres can improve you communication.

Mobile phones are a survival tool, as much as things like map, compass and whistle are and a map can be blown out of your hands, a compass can drift and a whistle may not be heard but I'd still advocate carrying them all.

 

[Laurentius]

I heard that 999 and 112 has the same effect.

http://www.mobilebanter.co.uk/uk-mobile-phones/46380-112-vs-999-a.html

No signal isn't as rare as folks seem to believe, Three years ago myself and a couple of work colleagues went up Snowdon, in the thick mist and drizzly rain we had no signals on our phones a lot of the time. I received a "Beep beep" and saw an incoming text from swmbo, it was a good two/threehours before I got a signal to reply. Even in the café at the top we couldn't get a signal.

You don't even have to be out in the wilds of Wales not to be able to get a signal, there is a spot in Warwickshire where I have never been able to get one. Unfortunately I broke down there once, and could not call the RAC out. Mobile phones can be wonderful things, mine has an app that allows me to download ordnance survey maps, preplan a route and use sat nav to keep me on it. However the battery does not last forever, and phones are fragile things if you fall onto it or drop it somewhere rocky. It is a good idea to carry a backup pay as you go phone with a fully charged battery for use only in an emergency, but again not to rely on it as your only emergency plan. The right clothing, some shelter and something to eat is a better plan.

Next time you are out in the high tops of Wales, if you can actually see anything at all, look around to see how far the nearest mobile mast is, if you can see one at all.

 

[British Red]

Carry a spare battery or two. Next time your in a spot with no signal, try and send a text message, they will often work when a voice call won't.

At our spot in Sennybridge vodafone is crap, O2 works well, 3 is non existent so make sure your phone is unlocked and carry a spare sim card for a different network provider.

There is no signal at the bushmoot we were told but I got a perfect signal by the toilet block so moving even a few metres can improve you communication.

Mobile phones are a survival tool, as much as things like map, compass and whistle are and a map can be blown out of your hands, a compass can drift and a whistle may not be heard but I'd still advocate carrying them all.

Chill Richard, no-one is saying not to carry them - you seem to be getting on a hobby horse about this. The point is rather not to rely on them - they are inherently fragile and do not always work - so it is common sense to have more reliable, robust alternatives.

 

[Ecoman]

The scary thing is that so many people from towns and cities come out to the country to get away from it all and go walking. Too many of them rely on electronic GPS and phone apps. The fact of the matter is, electronic devices can break, lose signal, crash or run flat. They then rely on mobile phones as back up, most smart phones now days have a very poor reception and its not uncommon for them to lose signal in the hills as they are really designed for urbanised areas. How many of you have driven across the Pennines between Penistone and Manchester or Derby to Oldham to find areas where your phone doesn't get a signal? Even on Arran there are many places I can't get a mobile signal that is strong enough on any network to actually make a call. Again up in the Highlands there are so many communication black spots that we (COTAG 4x4 Response) resorted to HF and VHF radios as our primary communication between vehicles and a sat phone for a reliable means of talking to the emergency services and the FCR. 112 or 999 will only work if you have access to a mobile signal from at least one of the networks.

You cannot beat the old school map and compass and telling someone responsible the route you intend to take. That way if you don't return by the approximate time you set off that person will know where to tell the search teams where to look. Even leaving a note in your car, in your accommodation or even with the landlord of the pub you were drinking at the night before will mean someone knows the area where you are.

Maps don't break down and they are nice and lightweight. OK its not easy to read a map in a howling gale but as a back up to electronic devices there is no better alternative. Anyone who ventures into the hills should learn how to read a map and use a compass correctly.

Its nice to hear that the girls had the common sense to stop and await rescue. A happy end to a frightening situation. Too many times you hear of Mountain Rescue being called out and they end up just finding bodies because they didn't take the correct clothes, equipment or simply got lost and kept going thinking they might find a way out.

No matter where you travel, whether it be plains, mountains, hills or forests you need to learn to respect the environment you are in, be aware of the hazards that you may encounter on your journey and prepare accordingly. Respect mother nature coz she can be a bitch at times!

 

[Dave-the-rave]

I get the impression they were disorientated not lost, so they sat down and waited for better visibility but were found first. The story is a bit misleading me thinks.

 

[feralpig]

I live in sight of the very Black mountain they were walking on. I know them well.
I'm just a bit lower, the other side the valley.
With the weather we have been having lately, I'd have hesitated to walk up there, and I was born in the hills, and have walked them in every weather.
Their survival skills and training must have been truly exceptional.
They were very lucky we are having unseasonally high temperatures at night.