Let's cut to the chase...I could have died.

gregww1

gregww1

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Hey folks, not a vlog but a blog. I recently suffered a bit of a mishap in Snowdonia and have written a blog detailing what happened. It might be of some interest. I was out with the intention of doing some landscape photography, but the parallels with any adventure we undertake in the hills are there for everyone. Don't take any experience for granted, we all make mistakes and can be blazé about what we carry in our personal kit. Link below...

Let's cut to the chase...I could have died
 
Caerus said:
and the rescue team that may have gone searching for you could have died trying to save you
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Given the conditions and level of training of MRT's that's extremely unlikely.

I know the Greg didn't dislocate his patella but amongst a number of other significant injuries I have dislocated mine twice both times whilst caving, both times I popped it back in and got myself out of the cave. It not only hurts like hell when it happens but the soft tissue damage also hurts immediately afterwards and goes on for days. We all respond differently to situations and pain but I wouldn’t let one incident (or even two :) ) stop me. It’s definitely the best incentive to get fitter, listen to your body more and take some precautions. Frankly it takes quite a lot to kill a healthy individual, watch the film Touching the Void (or read the book) to get some idea how strong the will to survive is.

As Nietzsche said “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger”

@gregww1 - all the best mate, give it time and I hope you get back out there.
 
Caerus said:
Yes you could have and the rescue team that may have gone searching for you could have died trying to save you.
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I doubt that. The rescue team Would be properly prepared, and wouldn't wander off willy nilly looking for someone.
If they'd received his message they would know he was only 250 yards from the road.
But that sounds a lot less dramatic than your answer.
 
gregww1 said:
Hey folks, not a vlog but a blog. I recently suffered a bit of a mishap in Snowdonia and have written a blog detailing what happened. It might be of some interest. I was out with the intention of doing some landscape photography, but the parallels with any adventure we undertake in the hills are there for everyone. Don't take any experience for granted, we all make mistakes and can be blazé about what we carry in our personal kit. Link below...

Let's cut to the chase...I could have died
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Glad you're ok. You were lucky.
 
:(

Glad you're still here.

As I sit here typing this, the thought of running around the countryside with a little black box trying to capture photos only for them to be lost in a sea of mediocrity and ‘likes’ in an artificial online world seems…profoundly quaint
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Pulled this from the article because it made me think.

In nowhere near the same level of danger, a couple of years ago I dropped a stanley knife on my foot which landed blade first and neatly severed the tendons that controlled my toes. The surgeons had to hunt up my leg for them to re-attach. Having severely reduced mobility made me spend my time looking for subjects much closer to hand and I ended up doing a little mini project which is now an A2 collage on the garage wall reminding me not to get stupid with knives.

Landscape isn't the only photography :)

Hope your recovery is swift and trouble free.
 
That path up from Cae Dafydd ....... went up it a few years ago with a mate; as it began to flatten out we came to a small stream. He put his foot on what he thought was a stone to cross it; no stone - he fell and tore his Achilles. Very slow descent, and he had months in various gadgets before he could walk normally again.

Concentrate on recovery and the physio, get well soon!
 
gregww1 said:
Hey folks, not a vlog but a blog. I recently suffered a bit of a mishap in Snowdonia and have written a blog detailing what happened. It might be of some interest. I was out with the intention of doing some landscape photography, but the parallels with any adventure we undertake in the hills are there for everyone. Don't take any experience for granted, we all make mistakes and can be blazé about what we carry in our personal kit. Link below...

Let's cut to the chase...I could have died
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Hope the recovery is going well.

A good report of your experience and an excellent reminder that it is so easy to make a few poor decisions (and probably all of us who have spent time on the hill have done it) and that things can go wrong so easily.

Dave
 
GordonM said:
You could also die driving to Snowdonia....
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Or anywhere. My Lexus is now an ex Lexus due to being rear ended by a truck at a set of lights - coming back from Glencoe from a workshop. Main thing is I am ok as the truck wasn't going fast enough to cause enough real damage other than damaging the car beyond economic repair but if it had...or I had been in some small coffin car....game over for me. All I have lost is a much loved car...man I loved that car :(

Hazard of the job if you drive, walk etc or travel anywhere.

Mountains are more risky than roads mainly due to the likelihood of an injury, but there is risk everywhere and anywhere. We just have to manage it the best we can to enjoy our lives and make our livings without meeting a premature end. The OP has had a pretty good run so far.

Get well soon Greg.
 
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I knew if I went on one of your workshops you'd try and off me.

Glad you're okay you dafty. Don't forget you can replicate rocks and hills with some stones in your garden, just dig it up a bit. That'll work.
 
An interesting read Greg but most importantly I'm glad you're ok.

This has certainly woken me up. I haven't really done many hikes at all since I started photography 5 years ago but I have a few times and the points you raise about letting someone know where you're going is definitely good advice. Especially the point about a route card and what time you're expected to be back etc.
 
I felt sick reading some of that Greg. But I don't like injuries/illnesses or hospitals.

Hope you get well soon, both physically and by the look of things mentally. You will associate photography and your risk taking with the injury and (temporary) reduced ability it has brought about during a time you and your family are dealing with something already.

In my mind the photography and normally very controlled and calculated small risks you have taken have been your raison d'être. I've thought about this myself before, sit at home in a padded room taking no risks and you change the person you are and ruin your life for sure. To go out and pursue things in life (literally and metaphorically) that are worth achieving nearly always includes risks, but without them you can't succeed and feel truly alive.

I do remember in my late teenage years with a pack on my back running down Bwlch Main off Snowdon, picking up more and more speed. I slipped, but not badly, just enough to come skidding to a halt with a spiky bit of rock between my legs less than an inch from my crotch. As I caught my breath, I realised (mid week) how utterly silent the area I was in actually was and devoid of other people. I too had done a lot of mountain leader work during my time in the Scouts but had a lucky escape. Lesson learned.
 
I've had a few too many narrow escapes in my lomg life. Now I don't take it that seriously. Thing is no matter how carefull you are one day the dice will come up double six and it's half a day out with the undertaker.
I consider myself overdue really. Don't get me wrong I carry safety kit when I'm out in the boondocks and I was lucky enough to have the training too (back in the day) but you have to enjoy life, it's not a rehearsal.
I think it was J M Barry who said life is an awfully big adventure, death is an even bigger one. ;)
 
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swanseamale47 said:
I've had a few too many narrow escapes in my lomg life. Now I don't take it that seriously. Thing is no matter how carefull you are one day the dice will come up double six and it's half a day out with the undertaker.
I consider myself overdue really. Don't get me wrong I carry safety kit when I'm out in the boondocks and I was lucky enough to have the training too (back in the day) but you have to enjoy life, it's not a rehearsal.
I think it was J M Barry who said life is an awfully big adventure, death is an even bigger one. ;)
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The post was mainly aimed at the feckless idiots wearing jeans and trainers carrying £20K's worth of camera kit in a Crumpler shoulder bag, who live in London and go "ooh look, big hill, let's go up it!" whilst on a weekend break in February. ;)
 
gregww1 said:
The post was mainly aimed at the feckless idiots wearing jeans and trainers carrying £20K's worth of camera kit in a Crumpler shoulder bag, who live in London and go "ooh look, big hill, let's go up it!" whilst on a weekend break in February. ;)
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I've seen them myself. Mid winter, late afternoon maybe two hours of daylight left, we were coming down off a snow covered Pen-y-fan (in heavy falling snow) and we meet a party of quite young school children and a single teacher on their way up fairly near the bottom. All dressed in normal shoes and coats. We told the teacher the snow was thigh deep at the top and we'd had a total white-out earlier and explained they had no chance of making it up and back before dark, and got told to F-off and mind our own business. We left them to it and I phoned a mate in mountain rescue.
You cant help some people.
 
swanseamale47 said:
I've seen them myself. Mid winter, late afternoon maybe two hours of daylight left, we were coming down off a snow covered Pen-y-fan (in heavy falling snow) and we meet a party of quite young school children and a single teacher on their way up fairly near the bottom. All dressed in normal shoes and coats. We told the teacher the snow was thigh deep at the top and we'd had a total white-out earlier and explained they had no chance of making it up and back before dark, and got told to F-off and mind our own business. We left them to it and I phoned a mate in mountain rescue.
You cant help some people.
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Yep, those are the ones!
 
Really hope you heal fast. A thoughtful read that makes me think of the near misses I've had and the risks of getting too blase. Best wishes
 
swanseamale47 said:
I've seen them myself. Mid winter, late afternoon maybe two hours of daylight left, we were coming down off a snow covered Pen-y-fan (in heavy falling snow) and we meet a party of quite young school children and a single teacher on their way up fairly near the bottom. All dressed in normal shoes and coats. We told the teacher the snow was thigh deep at the top and we'd had a total white-out earlier and explained they had no chance of making it up and back before dark, and got told to F-off and mind our own business. We left them to it and I phoned a mate in mountain rescue.
You cant help some people.
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That's bad, the Fan Dance can and does kill.

GC
 
Ex teacher, orienteer and fell runner. Can't believe a responsible teacher would do that. Forms have to be filled in, health and safety assessments, parental permission etc etc. Had to drive 150 miles to check out a 5 mile walk near High Force in Teesdale. Then drive back. We were staying at a hostel later on that year. Didn't even get petrol expenses.
 
gcgraphs said:
That's bad, the Fan Dance can and does kill.

GC
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mossienet said:
Ex teacher, orienteer and fell runner. Can't believe a responsible teacher would do that. Forms have to be filled in, health and safety assessments, parental permission etc etc. Had to drive 150 miles to check out a 5 mile walk near High Force in Teesdale. Then drive back. We were staying at a hostel later on that year. Didn't even get petrol expenses.
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I promise you it's true. A single woman teacher in her late twenties maybe and about 12 or 14 children under 10 (probably around 6 or 7) just dressed in normal winter coats and shoes. The kids had small bags probably their school bags and the teacher had a small day sack.
It had been snowing hard all day as was still snowing when we came down, we'd had a total white-out earlier near the top which was really bad conditions and the snow nearly waist deep in the thicker parts. Two of our party actually dug a snow hole and spent the night as they were exhausted, my oppo and I came down.
Me inside the snow hole.

tn_DSCN2476.JPG
 
swanseamale47 said:
I've seen them myself. Mid winter, late afternoon maybe two hours of daylight left, we were coming down off a snow covered Pen-y-fan (in heavy falling snow) and we meet a party of quite young school children and a single teacher on their way up fairly near the bottom. All dressed in normal shoes and coats. We told the teacher the snow was thigh deep at the top and we'd had a total white-out earlier and explained they had no chance of making it up and back before dark, and got told to F-off and mind our own business. We left them to it and I phoned a mate in mountain rescue.
You cant help some people.
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Maybe not a teacher, or not an ‘official’ one?
 
Guidance, part of, for an outdoor activity.

There are some generic issues relevant to most types of Field Studies. These
include:
• Forecast weather before and prevailing weather during the programme.
• Time of year, including consequences for weather, underfoot conditions and
available daylight.
• Clothing requirements (e.g. boots? waterproofs? gloves? warm hat? sun hat?).
• Specialist training for staff and participants.
• Specialist equipment (e.g. rucksacks? safety helmet? map and compass?
scientific equipment?).
• Data recording procedures (e.g. written? video? digital?).
In addition to the issues that arise in all types of off-site activity, there are some
specific considerations. These include the need for leaders with the confidence
and competence to both teach and supervise groups safely in the chosen terrain.
The number of leaders should be determined by risk benefit assessment to ensure
effective supervision: see document 4.3b “Ratios and Effective Supervision”.
Any programme involving remote supervision (as when students operate in small
sub-groups without direct supervision) requires appropriate control measures that
include behavioural expectations and emergency procedures. See document 4.2a
“Group Management and Supervision”.
 
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