A good news story

During recent very high winds in Scotland, five hillwalkers sparked a search and rescue effort after going over their return date and who were surprised at the appearance of the SAR helicopter.

A quote from one of the walkers:

"Describing the weather as "horrendous", he explained of their experience: "There was no problem, the wind blew us back quite a bit so our walking pace was quite slow.

"We camped in shelter.

"We got the stoves on, we were prepared for it, you prepare for the worst."

A good news story for the well prepared

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-16107745

a fellow over in Scotland just did a post at Classic Camp Stoves,the wind speed was 165MPH on Mt Cairngorm and another poster farther south in the UK said the power was off in places up north.

A nice change!

Amusing that they didn't realize the search was for them!

And I guess they wouldn't have called for help from a corn maze, either.

Sue

It always makes me happy to hear about someone clearly prepared to deal with the weather

But there is also an important lesson about why you should file a detailed trip plan with clear, consise instructions to a responsible parties.
Your trip plans should have TWO separate time of returns:
- When you actually plan to be back (add a reasonable safety margin here in case you want to spend more time watching the view, being slightly delayed by weather, blisters etc.)
- When is the last time before a search should be initiated.

Your trip plan should also have a list of what equipment you bring. It makes a BIG difference if you know you're waiting for someone who is well equipped with proper clothing, shelter and all.

Having an exact cutoff time (i.e. wait until 4pm before calling the authorities) would have saved a lot of anxiety on those back at home. It is also extremely helpful to know that you REALLY need to call them to tell you're OK if you're approaching the "call the authorities" cutoff time.

Very often, the spouse or parent back home will know very little about how to prepare and deal with rough conditions. YOU may be very well equipped and trained for those conditions - but THEY aren't, and they will NOT have a clue about what you can do with your skills and gear. Having the weather turn for the worse may not be a problem for you - but it will scare those back home. A good trip plan and a friendly SMS will help them - big time. It also help if they can have telephone support with a friend who knows you and your skill level.