Call Out Date: Tuesday, November 2, 2021
Call Out Time: 5:30 pm
Stood Down Time: 8:30 pm
Team / Agency: Patterdale MRT
Full dogs / Local Dogs: Full
Search Dogs Involved: Search Dogs Bess, Fern, Isla, Marty,Morag, Trailing Dog Brock
Call Out Details:
A couple set off to climb Helvellyn by Striding Edge rather late in the day, which was overcast and misty. When they reached the Hole in the Wall, the husband wanted to go on to do the scramble, but his wife did not feel confident to continue. They agreed he would go and do the scramble, and then return to her. As darkness fell, she rang the police to ask for assistance, as he had not returned and did not have a torch. Patterdale Team immediately launched a search, and requested assistance from the search dogs. HM Coastguard were also contacted and a SAR helicopter from Humberside equipped with night vision and infra-red search capabilities was deployed. Penrith and Keswick MRT were also called to assist.
Call Out Conclusion:
The search dogs were given the task of searching the steep and craggy areas below the edge on each side. In a relatively short time, Search Dog Morag located the gentleman's rucsac in thick mist, and not long afterwards, found the body of the gentleman himself, who had taken a big fall sustaining fatal injuries. Team members from Patterdale and Penrith RTs recovered his body down to Patterdale Rescue Centre.
