I am very grateful that the original posting was made, it has prompted a lively and interesting
debate, kick starting this discussion group back to life. There have been diverse views as one would
expect from a cross section of the population. If we all thought the same, we'd all head for the
same hill and never experience 'wilderness'. I'm not a mountain leader and not qualified to preach,
but from the original posting, it is clear that as a group, you were ill-prepared for a mishap which
came close on two occasions.
#1. Your fall into the stream. That could easily have been a
leg-breaker with an enforced stop in a survival bag. At that point you were still 'lost', help would
have undoubtedly been eventually summoned, but it would have taken the messenger wasted time to get
orientated to find a way to civilisation. If the injury had been critical, such as a fractured femur
leading to possible shock and/or severed femoral artery, then time is of the essence.
#2. Your concerns over your leader possibly being at the early stages
of hypothermia. A person in that condition will likely answer that they are 'OK', because one of the
symptoms is the body's 'shutting down' to preserve heat leads to lessening of brain activity and
they do not realise that they are not 'OK'. I am sure that you took that on board and monitored her
for the rest of the walk, and she was not in any imminent danger. BUT - what if she had
deteriorated? That condition would have been caused by walking about in soaking weather (and
probably clothes). Deciding to continue walking about in exactly the conditions that brought about
the hypothermia certainly would'nt make it better. She would have had to be placed in a survival
bag, out of the rain and wind, where a 'micro-climate' that is warmer than the outside can be
induced. Yes, she would have had a cold [censored], but the hypothermia would have already closed down the
blood vessels in that area, so she would not have sufferered significant heat loss in that
direction.
Once again, time is of the essence in summoning help. A GPS would precisely fix the point at which
the casualty is laid up. It will help the messenger to quickly navigate to civilisation. The GPS
could be handed directly to the Rescue Party and save them huge amounts of time and effort by
leading them straight back to the casualty.
The merits of GPS etc have been fully discussed, and the fact is that as one was available to your
party, it should have been taken. From a litigation point of view, had a death or serious injury
resulted from an avoidable delay in getting help, then the body running the course would most
definately have been liable for neglecting to take out safety measures available to them.
One other thing concerns me, and that is the lack of respect shown to the party leader. Were I that
person, I would expect members to take with them equipment that I prescribe. There is nothing worse
than trying to tell 'been there, dunnits' what to do. It was a formal course, and whether you do
actually know better or not, you should have complied with the leader's instruction to take packs.
She probably should have put her foot down and refused to leave until the party were in compliance,
but it was obviously a steep learning curve for several in the party.
The second and potentially more dangerous lack of respect shown was deliberately choosing not to
inform the leader of your fall and immersion in water. Yes, you may have felt foolish, but the
leader needs to be aware of any factors that could have an impact on planning for the rest of
that exercise.
Besides that, it seems to have been a worthwhile exercise and experience. I am actually quite
envious, but try not to let it show. We all learn best from mistakes in life (preferably other
people's). I am sure you will be a better and wiser Mountain Leader if you take on board the lessons
that need to be learned from the situation.
I have probably lined myself up for a reply incorporating some glorious invective, including the
dubious labels 'ass' and even worse 'assiness'. Oh my God, will I be able to show my face in
public again?
Steve Jones.
