A Fell Walk on a Misty Day

A sort of Halloween story

A Fell walk on a misty day

 

16 November 2020

12:32

 

Fell walk on a misty day.

 

Richard set out from the visitor centre car park. Making his way through the woods, with wild wood land flowers, undisturbed since the woods were planted almost one hundred years earlier. He reached the locked gate  onto the open fells.

 

To the left was the area known as "The Distressed Forest". It was hit by a thunderbolt, many years previously, during a terrible storm.

The tree: trunks blackened and lifeless, the branches, like twisted black arms, reaching to the sky, as if appealing to some higher authority to release them from the purgatory, and let them mix back with the surrounding earth.

 

He proceeded to climb the path towards ‘Lady’s Pike’ then to follow the ridge to Hobcarton End, where four paths meet.

 

The mist came in as he reached Hobcarton End, he put down his pack removing a lightweight showerproof coat and his flask of coffee, he donned the coat, poured a cup of the warm sweet black coffee, replaced the flask.

 

It was as he was fastening his jacket, he became aware of a person approaching out of the mist.

 "Can you help me? the man asked.

‘How can I help you?’

‘There is a man injured over there, come I will show you.’

 

Richard followed the man; on reaching a person laying on the cold ground the man said

’I have sent for the rescue team, they should be here shortly.’

Richard turned his attention to the man, the man said his leg hurt he feared it was broken,

‘I don’t carry much in the way of bandages, the rescue team has been sent for,

“Hear I have a waterproof jacket, let me put it over you until they arrive.’

 

Richard looked for the man who bought him here. He was gone, without a goodbye, not even a sound of him walking.

 

Richard thought he had best contact the rescue team to ascertain the were on the way.

There was no signal.

 

 

He heard the sound of people approaching, taking out his whistle he gave three blasts (the mountain emergency signal) the approaching people gave the single blast return.

Where are you Richard replied over here - keep calling.

Two men came up in Mountain Rescue over jackets.

‘Let's have a look at you, they will have the stretcher here in a minute or two.’

The first aid team got to work on the man, while the stretcher was prepared

‘Is this your jacket to Richard.’

Tthe jacket was returned and put in his bag

‘How did you contact us, there is no signal from here?’

‘That I discovered, after the man had left.’

T he then related how he came to be there

‘I thought, I was going have to leave him and attempt to find a spot where i could get an emergency call through.’

‘Oh so you know about the phones in this area’

"Yes, we live close by"

 

‘Do you know this has happened before only the person had gone with no trace when we arrived.

Then a long time ago another man had been left while help was called, they thought that he had attempted to crawl back to the path, but he took the wrong direction and fell over the crag to his death, could you describe the man who bought you here?’

‘Well, he was wearing a sort of sports jacket and plus twos, oh and leather studded boots,

I didn't take that in at the time, but now I think it was odd, and his studded boots made no sound as he walked.’

‘The first one I mentioned said the same about the man who helped him, only he stayed with the victim and left just as the rescuers arrived.’ 

 

Wild Rose

Nov 2020