Slightly off topic but relates to hill/fell walking.
Whilst on top of Helvellyn on Saturday the weather conditions were far from perfect. Near zero visability, 50 knot winds gusting to 60/70 knots, horizontal icy rain. I was stood near the shelter when a couple arrived looking very wet, tired, shivering and obviously suffering from the prevailing conditions. He was dressed in jeans and a denim jacket with a t-shirt underneath plus trainers, she was wearing tracky bottoms and a white ‘puffer’ jacket with trainers! I started chatting to them and gave them some of my coffee. I suggested that they got off of the hill as quickly as possible and got dry and warm. They agreed that they shouldnt have attempted the hill today and started off in to the gloom. 5 minutes later they are back at the shelter asking me where the footpath was! On enquiring as to which path they came up their answer was dont know! Further enquiry indicated that they had come up the same route as me from Wythburn Church carpark. I asked them for their map and compass to confirm the route - guess what - they didnt have either. Being the good samaritan that I am and refraining from giving them a lecture I took them to the point where the path is obvious and pointed them in the right direction off the hill. As a final good will gesture I gave them my spare foil space blanket and explained that if they had any problems on the way down to stop and wrap themselves up in the blanket and I would be down that way in about an hour.
I never came across them on the descent but was very surprised to see my space blank tucked under the windscreen wiper of my car with a note saying ‘we thought this was your car because it had a CB aerial on the roof (2m co-linear)’ and thanking me for the assistance and a promise that they would buy the right gear next time.
This time they were lucky but it was a good reminder that the hills are dangerous places especially now as we approach winter where temperature can drop quite considerably from base to summit.
73 Glyn