"Phone app helps Oban mountain rescue find lost walkers" was the headline in a recent Oban Times story.
It went on:
Oban Mountain Rescue Team was called out on Saturday at around 7pm to search for two walkers who had got lost in cloud as night fell on the Ben Achallader –Ben a Creachain ridge near Bridge of Orchy.
The pair were not carrying head torches,a map or compass and lost their bearings in the dark and cloud. Oban Mountain Rescue Team sent several pairs of team members up to search the ridge from either end.
Fortunately for the lost walkers one of them managed to download a smart phone app that allowed him to find their latitude and longtitude co-ordinates via his phone GPS.
Ian Campbell (leader on this rescue) had been in touch with them when the callout first came in, so they had his number. They called this and gave their co-ordinates to Ian’s wife who relayed them to Ian via Oban police. Ian converted them to ordnance survey grid references and pinpointed them on top of Ben a Creachain. He then radioed the teams on the hill to tell them to make for the walkers location.
They were eventually found just before midnight,cold but otherwise well,and escorted off the hill by 2am.
Good story, nice ending. The bit I didn't like was the absence of a map and compass. Ludicrous.
John
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