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Thread: Most dramatic moment.

  1. #11
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    One local chap tells me he found himself "misplaced" on an evening run and ended up on steps in complete darkness. He had to sit on each step, feel down with his hands/feet, move down a step, feel down - and so on. No fun - always carry a head torch!

  2. #12
    My own wake up moment was during a rescue in Langdale in the 1970s. We had gone to assist a group of yougsters on the side of Harrison Stickle - no drama, just a bit exhausted and in need of help getting off the hill. When we arrived some of us were getting them ready to move off and the rest of us hunkered down for a few minutes to wait. I distinctly remember looking out across the valley and being able to see the white buildings of the Lowwood Hotel in sunshine in the distance. Within an amazingly few minutes we were overtaken by an incredibly severe storm of hail, sleet and high winds. Visibility dropped to zero and movement was virtually impossible. We were literally pinned down. We got the party and ourselves in to bivi bags and simply had to sit it out. I was in a bivi with Colin Mortlock (who will be known to some of you) who told me that the conditions were as bad as he had experienced in the Arctic. After about half an hour or so it eased slightly and we made the decision to get off the hill while we could but even the relatively short evacuation from there was an epic.
    It taught me just how scary and bad the weather can get how quickly and has probably contributed to me carrying too much kit ever since.

  3. #13
    Master ba-ba's Avatar
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    Great Lakes 2012. From the rousing race briefing before hand, to spending 4h in a washing machine, to descending from slight side, dropping out of the clag and seeing the whole field spread out across Mosedale infront of me - I'd only seen 2 other people for much of the race from Bowfell onwards - to charging into the swollen river Esk shouting 'FOR GONDOR' as others supported each other across, to taking on most of the final descent of Blisco face first on my belly. What a day - I still count it as the day I properly realised this was for me.

    I went on holiday for a week after, my wet kit stuck in my car at Liverpool Airport. Needless to say it stunk when I got back.
    Nic Barber. Downhill Dandy

  4. #14
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    A couple of years ago I managed to flip a particularly sharp piece of rock with one foot and simultaneously wedge the other between two rocks. The sharp rock hit the other leg and split the skin just above my ankle quite impressively. This was coming down off CMD, just above the col between it and the Aonachs. I was out on my own and there was definitely a moment of "Shit, this doesn't look good!". Thankfully it was deep but not bleeding too much. I washed it out in a stream and made my way rather gingerly down to Glen Nevis and a slow jog back to the campsite (resolving to carry a large dressing on future runs). Then it was a bus to Fort William and a few stitches in A&E (and now a scar).
    Geoff Clarke

  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by ba-ba View Post
    Great Lakes 2012. From the rousing race briefing before hand, to spending 4h in a washing machine, to descending from slight side, dropping out of the clag and seeing the whole field spread out across Mosedale infront of me - I'd only seen 2 other people for much of the race from Bowfell onwards - to charging into the swollen river Esk shouting 'FOR GONDOR' as others supported each other across, to taking on most of the final descent of Blisco face first on my belly. What a day - I still count it as the day I properly realised this was for me.
    I was there too, it was especially ‘wet’ and altogether epic. Especially having to form spiders with other runners to cross the raging torrents that were the “becks” in Great Moss/Moasdale. Unfortunately my group in the race ascended stonesty pike too far to the right and ended up, as we subsequently found out, off the side of the Pete Bland race map in thick hill fog and of the course the monsoon like rain. Anyway we went down, because if we were on the map where we thought/hoped we were, we were expecting a slight descent. This soon ended up clearly the wrong way but by then, feeling battered and drenched, a few of us carried on and my final route to the finish ended up via Wrynose

    Great times, great times
    Last edited by Fellbeast; 15-01-2021 at 02:14 PM.

  6. #16
    Master Travs's Avatar
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    Wasdale 2016 was a bit of an epic. perhaps not quite so severe as Great Lakes 2012...

    I posted in detail at the time so won't repeat everything... but driving over the passes from Ambleside i could tell it wasn't going to be pleasant. Up until Seatallan it was just that... "unpleasant", but from there the fury was unleashed. Got lost around Pots Of Ashness, but navigated onto the col between Haycock and Scoat Fell.

    Here hit the weather, wind/rain/hail, at some point between Scoat Fell and Black Crags i'd got completely disorientated and turned a 180... which i didn't realise until i bumped into Fiona from DPFR (a clubmate at the time) coming in the opposite direction.

    By this point we'd passed numerous groups of retirees, people who'd got borderline hypothermia, or fell in the slippy conditions and banged their heads, a group of army guys who were heading down... we'd missed the cutoff for Pillar, so myself, Fiona, and FellUpFellDown of this forum, collected together everybody's tags and sent them downhill fast, and we went onto Pillar to "clock everyone in" with the marshalls so they knew where we all were, and to officially retire. Then headed down to Wasdale via Black Sail.

    My dad had walked up to Sty Head to see me through, obviously i didn't get there, he made it up there but said it was the worst conditions he'd ever experienced.... i did point out that we'd been over 1000ft further up and more exposed!

    There was a guy who posted on the forum from the same race... he'd had much a closer call, getting lost coming off Scafell Pike and being in a much worse state, think he needed an ambulance.
    Last edited by Travs; 15-01-2021 at 02:43 PM.

  7. #17
    Moderator Mossdog's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike T View Post
    One local chap tells me he found himself "misplaced" on an evening run and ended up on steps in complete darkness. He had to sit on each step, feel down with his hands/feet, move down a step, feel down - and so on. No fun - always carry a head torch!
    Absolutely. Experience has also taught me to always carry a small, second, back-up torch (e.g tikka or e+lite) after having had my main nao play-up.
    Am Yisrael Chai

  8. #18
    Master mr brightside's Avatar
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    Getting tripped and ending up on the floor at the start of Wansfell, one of the most congested starts there is.

  9. #19
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    Amazing how adrenaline can mask physical pain!
    Simon Blease
    Monmouth

  10. #20
    Master Travs's Avatar
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    Something similar happened the first year i did the Devil's Chair Dash (Boxing Day 2018 i think)

    In essence a very short fell race, up and down to the local Devil's Chair summit, probably about 20-22mins winning time.

    But it is also a big event for the village, and attracts several hundred walkers/families, as well as the usual 100-150 fellrunners.

    It is usually all very civilised, and the fellrunners will line up near the front in some kind of logical order, like you would see at most races, and the mass of walkers line up further back.

    On this occasion a father decided that he was lining up on the very front row, complete with his two young children and a couple of dogs.

    He had every right to be at the front the same as anyone else, but the RO did have a quick word in his ear that he might not be making the wisest choice. But he insisted.

    The horn went, which startled the dogs and they lurched sideways, dragging the father and the two children... the mass of runners shot forward and this young family were just consumed in the melee... i was only two or three rows back so could see it unfolding (and predicted it beforehand), but most runners couldn't see what was going on, so it just increased the pile-on...

    I don't think anyone was hurt, but he's probably put his two kids off racing for life...
    Last edited by Travs; 18-01-2021 at 04:20 PM.

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