Walkers waist-deep and near-hypothermic after early morning ascent of Scafell Pike

Yorkshire: A group of five hikers set out early in the morning to climb Scafell Pike. But things took a turn when they got lost and ended up waist-deep in snow, feeling the chill of hypothermia.

The Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team got the call for help around 9:23 AM. They learned about the situation through an emergency message sent from an iPhone, which didn’t give them much detail at first.

Eventually, they pinpointed the group’s location in a remote area of Upper Eskdale. It turned out one person was feeling unwell, and another had hurt his ankle.

The hikers had strayed off the summit of Scafell Pike while trying to find their way back to Seathwaite. The team leader quickly organized a rescue, sending a couple of team members ahead to reach them as fast as possible.

A coastguard helicopter from Prestwick also joined the effort. It was believed the group had been lost since the day before.

As more messages came in, it seemed the hikers were moving down the valley toward the road. At one point, it was unclear if everyone was together or if some were still separated.

Luckily, the advance team met the five hikers not too far into their journey. They were all safe and managed to walk back to the road, where they could grab a taxi to a local pub.

After chatting with the group, it turned out they had left Harrogate at midnight, reached Seathwaite, and started their hike at 4 AM. They made it to the summit but then got lost in Upper Eskdale, cold and wet.

The rescue team noted that the hikers weren’t fully prepared for winter conditions, which contributed to their predicament. They were honest about their mistakes and grateful for the help, realizing things could have gone much worse.

Big thanks to the Coastguard helicopter Rescue 199 for their support!