Shropshire Star comment: Dangers lurking on mountains
The sun is shining, the hills are beckoning invitingly, and something very nasty could happen when you get there.
You can see things from the point of view of folk who head for the hills and mountains looking for a breath of fresh air with a hint of adventure as well.
And long may that continue, as to have such wonderful landscapes on the Shropshire doorstep is something to be celebrated and enjoyed.
Enjoyed with a healthy dose of common sense, that is.
Hills and mountains which look benign from afar have ensnared many innocents.
Up close and personal they are capricious, and can be, and often are, a lot colder, wetter, and more dangerous than expected.
When things go wrong, it does not affect just those who are in need of rescue.
It means somebody has to rescue them as well, potentially putting their lives at risk, quite apart from the cost.
Chris Lloyd from the Ogwen Mountain Rescue Service has raised the spectre of the Welsh mountains having restricted access one day because too many people head to them unprepared and end up having to be rescued.
His appeal to be sensible is directed towards Shropshire and the wider Midlands, from where folk head every year in their many thousands towards Snowdonia.
The mountain rescue teams are volunteers and so the call-outs disrupt their normal lives.
There is a sense of satisfaction to be had from a successful operation to rescue those in trouble, but there is also a sense of frustration over those call-outs which are the result of people heading to the hills and mountains without any thought or preparation.
Even well-equipped and experienced climbers and walkers can get into difficulties on the mountains.
Mr Lloyd says preparations should start at home.
Folk should have suitable footwear, spare clothing even in summer, and a windproof and waterproof jacket – it’s windy up there, and rain should be taken as inevitable.
It may be that people do not kit themselves up in this way because they do not have a self-image of being “serious” mountain walkers. It’s only a day out, after all, they think.
Big mistake. You have to treat the hills and mountains with respect. Because, as Mr Lloyd points out, if you do not, they bite.
