to not trust this 'helpful' stranger in the mountains?

[SummerOfLadybirds]

I've fallen out with a close friend and want to know who was BU.
We went camping in Lake District recently. We're experienced hikers so had all correct gear, provisions, torches, map, compass etc. We planned to stay in proper campsites as my friend hates wild camping. On 2nd day decided to leave marked routes as felt confident we could navigate. (The paths are too busy in good weather, we both wanted to hike in wilderness). At first it was fine, we went high up and didn't see anyone for hours. To cut a long story short we then lost the compass, got disorientated and got lost!! My friend started freaking out and worrying we'd have to camp in mountains if we couldn't find way down. I said that was fine, we had tent, food, clothes etc, we could set up camp and find way down in morning but she said she wanted a shower and a proper loo (and was scared of 'ghosts'!) I said its too dangerous to try and descend once its dark, she got in a massive strop.

Meanwhile for a couple of hours, despite seeing nobody all day, we'd both noticed a man in camouflage gear popping up in different places nearby. Once he was in front of us, once he was chilling by a rock, another time he was behind us. He didn't acknowledge us but he wasn't that close. We assumed he was just enjoying nature, going in same direction as us.

When the light began to fade, my friend got really scared and insisted we keep walking and suddenly we almost bumped into this man as we came around a boulder!! He said hi and asked where we were going, my friend started to blurt out we were lost, but I didn't want to seem vulnerable so I cut in and said 'we're not really lost' and made out she was joking. He was friendly but something didn't feel quite right and I felt we WERE vulnerable, 2 petite women and this guy (he was very tall and muscular, had a big army-style rucksack and just seemed a bit 'odd'). He offered to guide us down but I was worried he might lead us somewhere even more remote, so I told him thanks but we didn't need his help and was very assertive in not wanting to walk with him.
We carried on, I was freaked out now because of the man, and my friend was petrified of being on mountain in night and not speaking to me because i'd refused his help.
Anyway we did make it off the mountain (in the dark) and finally got to a campsite at 2am.

My friend is still furious that I wouldn't let this man help us. I still think he could have done anything to us, like leading us further off-route in the dark and raping us.

No, the ghosts eat the breadcrumbs

Just read on the local news website that 19 members of coniston mountain rescue went up on the 13 th April to search for and rescue two walkers who became lost and disorientated in low descending mist. They called for help from their mobiles.

SabrinnaOfDystopia
Yes I was not joking.

But definitely worth telling OP's friend that she could have followed the man. No need to blame the OP for not doing it. She is not a child, so she could have accepted the man's help (and be safely in camp hours before the OP or be an eaten corpse now ).

Wow some people are overreacting! Even experienced hikers make mistakes. It's easy to get disorientated in mist. Reading some of comments I assumed OP had gone up mountain in tshirt and sandals without a map!

They successfully got down the mountain in dark, they could have camped and stayed warm if unable to complete descent. No harm done. Descending in dark is not necessarily dangerous, they had moonlight and decent torches.

If I had a bad feeling about a stranger in mountains I would not stop and ask them for directions or even engage in conversation. Like OP I would put distance between us and watch my back. Attacks in wilderness are rare but not unheard of.

My advice is trust your instincts particularly when you are somewhere remote and far from help. The man maybe a helpful oddball type keen to rescue you, but he could also be a rapist or murderer, or he could be high on drugs or have mental health problems. He could be unpredictable or lost himself. If you sensed something 'dangerous' about him you were right not to let him guide you.

Well Im not familiar with Old Man of Coniston so can't comment on routes, but where does OP say it took them 9hours to descend?

'Experienced hiker' could just mean someone who does a lot of hiking. It doesn't mean trained in navigation. Many hikers don't go in mountains at all. I agree people who do should take mountain safety courses, but not doing so doesn't mean they don't have experience. I just don't see what real 'danger' they were in, that triggered all the comments about mountain rescue! The worst that could have happened was they stayed lost for a couple of days (snug and warm in their exped tent). They would have made way home or asked other hikers for map reference in daylight. Of course they could have stumbled and twisted an ankle, but that could happen to anyone. Descending at night with good visibility is not a recipe for disaster. I'd rather descend on a clear night than in poor daytime visibility.

As a climber, you will know that climbing accidents put a lot of strain on mountain rescue services. Often due to taking risks, climbing in bad weather or climbers who are overconfident or adrenalin-junkies. Winter climbing has even higher risk of serious accidents and fatalities. Compared to the risks taken by climbers and mountaineers, I don't think hiking down a mountain at night is as dangerous as you make out. You can be lost without being in danger. It sounds like the only missing equipment was a spare compass, they had everything else necessary for survival.

The thing is, although they got lost, they eventually got down without help. At night. With no compass.
So clearly they are not as unskilled or ditzy as people are making out.

My brother is a keen climber, regularly goes mountaineering and ice-climbing in remote places. He admits he takes massive risks. He has had many near misses including falling down a crevasse (breaking his leg in 3 places) and having tent ripped into by a polar-bear. Over the years he's lost several close friends to mountaineering accidents. He says most climbers are like him, they thrive on danger and the next big challenge.

I can understand that, Caspian.

Not sure if that's the case with the OP, as she refused the ultimate thrill chase that was to follow this man. Unlike her friend. Who, on the other hand, is afraid of ghosts in the wilderness...

As for eventually getting down to safety, it sort of reminds me of the analogy of infinite chimps eventually writing Shakespeare's work.

Caspian - I know the Old Man of Coniston well. And my two-year-old DS could find his way off it, on his balance bike, in less than nine hours.

This is why posters are annoyed. It's one of the most basic fells in the Lakes in terms of navigation, with the extra bonus of huge mining machinery on the mountain side to virtually guide you down.

If the OP was lost, simply following the well marked and obvious path down would have led her to the Sun Inn in around 90mins max, even walking extremely slowly.

But she says they spent nine hours. Lost. They must literally have been walking slowly, in circles.

People aren't overreacting when they talk about mountain rescue donations etc. If the OP and her friend were that clueless, they were a danger to themselves and to the volunteers who might have had to go up to rescue them in the dark.

To give additional context, there's a fell race up the Old Man, not even from Coniston but from the next village - Torver. The women's record for running up and down the whole thing is just over an hour. And our OP apparently spent nine hours lost and unable to get down?

Why are posters saying the OP was 'lost on the mountain' for 9 hours? She didn't say that her campsite was on the Old Man of Coniston and posters are only 'guessing' at timeframes. I know it makes for a better story but it doesn't mean it's true.

The OP said she was in the mountain, and that they were lost.
And she did mention initially hours without seeing anyone while going off the main paths.

TheBlackRider - thanks for the tip! Alas, I'm already racing this weekend, but sadly not in Langdale.
Though I was running in Great Langdale a couple of weeks ago, and took the opportunity to refuel in the Old dungeon ghyll as well. It's just beautiful.

Sorry to derail thread...

Back On - of course her campsite wasn't on the Old Man, it's a blooming mountain, not a holiday park.

She was lost well before nightfall, right? And still up there at 2am? Nine hours seems about right. She could've come off the Old Man and walked back to the bloody m6 in that time.

Sorry, x posted with Black Rider there.

Sounds perfect, Black Rider. Will check it out. I haven't done a lengthy race around there since the Lakeland Trails marathon, which was fantastic.
And around Coniston, as it happens!

You say you are both experienced hikers, but yet you attempted to navigate your way down in the dark. That is sooooo irresponsible and dangerous. You put your lives at risk not to mention the lives of the rescue team who may have had to come out to rescue you. People like you should stay off the mountains and maybe just take a steady stroll around the park where you can't get yourselves into too much trouble. I think it's a save bet to assume that any stranger out walking in the mountains will not mean you any harm, quite the opposite in fact. you should have accepted his help.