A Scary Few Moments

A True Account of a Near Miss on Scafell

Foxes Tarn Descent - June 2004

- Thank you to Andrew for his short account of how he nearly got into serious difficulty on the descent route from Scafell - regarded as a safe descent but in the mist it is not so easy.  Thankfully it has a happy ending and through their own quick thinking saved a nasty accident - well done Andrew and his group.

Hello,

Don't know if this is the sort of thing you want to hear, but it does say on your website that if you get into trouble and manage to extricate yourself without the need for mountain rescue then to let you know as well, so here goes....it's actually a two part story.

A couple of weekends ago myself and some friends were attempting to do Slight Side/Scafell/Scafell Pike/Great End from Wha House farm.  We made it to the top of Scafell no problem, but the weather took a turn for the worse, the clouds descended and visibility was down to a few meters.  We were equipped with maps, compasses and a GPS system so we weren't too concerned.

We made our way down to Foxes Tarn (with some difficulty) and as we had never done the route before we were unsure where to go next.  We made our way to the right (which I know to be to the right of Foxes Tarn gully) and ended up at what can only be described as a short cliff face (probably at most 7- 10m in height), we were looking for a safe way down when I slipped on a mossy piece of rock.  The rock was at an angle and I started sliding down to the edge of the cliff.  I was frantically flailing my arms about and I managed to grab something, which turned out to be grass roots and I managed to stop my fall.  However because the rock was so slippy I couldn't move for fear of slipping again so for a few minutes I was stuck, frightened to move.  I eventually managed to get myself out of it by getting one of my friends to take my backpack and slowly inching my way back up the rock, but it was a scary few minutes.

After that we found our way to Foxes Tarn gully and started making our way down there.  Below us was a woman out by herself.  As we descended she slipped and fell about 3m, landing on rocks.  She lay there for a bit and we were sure that she was unconscious, so we tried to (quickly) make our way down to see if she was ok.  As we got closer however she seemed to pull herself round and said she was ok and was able to continue.

I suppose the point I am trying to make (and I am sure you know this already) is that everyone talks about Lords Rake/Broad Stand, but in adverse weather conditions any part of the mountain can be treacherous.  I am by no means a particularly experienced fell walker (Helvellyn, Fairfield, Yorkshire Dales, Cheviots etc), but we were well equipped with waterproofs, first aid kit, whistle etc and it just goes to show that accidents can happen to anyone and when you least expect it as well!

I was glad I didn't have to call Mountain Rescue out in the end, but it always good to know you are there if needed!

Thanks

Andrew

-Page created 24 July 2004-