South Cumbrian Mountain rescue teams joined in a massive multi-agency search on Tuesday (November 5) after a 'lost and exhausted walker' went missing for two days in the North Penines.
Volunteers from Kendal Mountain Search & Rescue Team, Duddon and Furness MRT (Mountain Rescue Team), Kirkby Stephens MRT, Langdale Ambleside MRT and Constion MRT were deployed to search a large area east of Cross Fell.
Members of the Penrith MRT were alerted at 8pm on Tuesday, November 5, to a solo walker who had become exhausted and was unable to continue along the Pennine Way.
He was able to give a rough description of the route he’d taken but the team was unable to get an accurate location.
Using phone signal triangulation, teams established a rough location with nearly a 10km² potential search area.
Team members headed into the North Pennines and searched the fellside and fell tops, using the route description provided by the casualty to try and reduce the size of the area to be searched.
This was hampered by thick cloud however which reduced visibility to less than 5m at times.
By 5am, teams had been withdrawn from the hill and more support from across the region had been requested.
At dawn, search efforts intensified with more search dogs, drones, and a coastguard Helicopter.
Persistent low cloud still restricted the ability of searchers however.
A spokesperson for Coniston MRT said: "It was a murky misty morning when we received a request to assist Penrith MRT in a continuing search for a missing walker.
"They had spoken to the gentleman the night before who had become lost and exhausted. Unfortunately they had been unable to locate him, hence the continuation of the search this morning."
"A number of Teams were deployed to search a large area around Cross Fell in the northern Pennines. Coniston sent one vehicle with a small party.
Fortunately for the walker, it had been an unseasonably mild and still night and he had been able to stay warm and was able to continue walking once it was light.
After several hours of walking, he came across a vehicle track and, having updated the team, was picked up shortly afterwards by members of a search party. He was checked over by a paramedic from LA MRT and was taken to a local B&B to recover.
A Coniston MRT added: "Contact with the walker was regained and the cloud lifted enabling him and Penrith Base Control to eventually ascertain his probable whereabouts. Soon after, the gentleman was located, safe and walking, and was accompanied off the fell."
In total, five Coniston MRT members attended with from 22 Penrith team members and over 25 others from MRT teams across the region with five search dogs.
HM Coastguard, Wasdale MRT, Cockermourth MRT, Keswick MRT and SARDA all joined the search.
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