Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team searched through Storm Austen overnight and found a young man in the Upper Esk at about 03:00 on Saturday 24 October. He had set off from Seathwaite to Scafell Pike on Friday morning and had not returned.
Chad Dixon of the Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team described the conditions as "horrific" and said crews were out in "very cold, gusts of 50-60mph" with wet snow. More than 45 volunteers took part, with two Coastguard helicopters and search dogs from Scotland, Yorkshire and the Lake District joining the search.
Upper Esk search overnight
The rescue began after the man's parents raised the alarm when he failed to come back. His last known position was Taylor Gill Force at 10:30 on Friday 23 October, and volunteers from the Duddon and Furness Mountain Rescue team later spotted a flashing head torch at 02:40 in the Upper Esk.
He was found very cold and exhausted. Dixon said, "it was just not the weather to be out in really, so he was a lucky chap".
Storm Austen in Cumbria
The search took place while parts of Cumbria were under an amber wind warning and the region braced for Storm Boelo. Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team said the incident involved a large-scale emergency response, and added: "This incident is a stark reminder of how important it is to plan for the conditions".
The team also warned: "A short clip on social media will always show the fells at their best, not the conditions you may actually meet". In this case, the man had been sitting in the Upper Esk since 18:00 wearing all his spare clothing, but his phone and power bank had both run flat, leaving him unable to call for help.
Humberside Coastguard Rescue
After he was found, Humberside Coastguard Rescue flew him down to safety. The combination of five rescue teams, more than 45 volunteers and two Coastguard helicopters shows how quickly a hill rescue can scale up when weather and darkness close in on a walker who has lost contact.
Why he became lost and remained in the Upper Esk for so long before rescue was not addressed in the rescue account.
