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.

My BIL is a mountain rescue volunteer, in the Lake District. I wouldn't be impressed at him being dragged out of bed for something so stupid but I guess he's used to it.

I'm sure it's been said - but if he was going to attack you, he could easily have done it. Mountains can be quiet places and people can easily be attacked.

However - I don't think I've heard of such a thing happening. If so, it must be very rare.

I have heard of people getting lost on the mountains and needing rescuing.

Most people help others. I think you have to weigh up the probabilities of risk. But like I said, you were vulnerable and if his intentions were to attack you, he could have done it anytime.

Glad you got down ok. I've been lost up there before -or rather,me and a friend had a disagreement over our position. It was foggy and cold. Luckily we managed to find some trail markers and used our map skills to work out our position.

Would you have done anything different in hindsight?

Running duh . I think we have established that the ops camp wasn't on the mountain but seeing as we don't know where it was we have no way of knowing how long she was lost on the mountain. From the info given by the OP it's not possible to work out if she got off the mountain at, say, 9pm or at 1:30am.

Still, no need for that to get in the way of a good rant.

I have to be honest. If I was a male with a murdering, or at least twisted intent, I probably wouldn't hang around lonely mountains. I'd probably in a pub trying to get someone drunk.

I know it's tough when you are lost and frightened with miles to walk and darkness encroaching. And a single random man seems to be sniffing around. But it's normal to chat to other passers by on the mountain.

Maybe he was your guardian angel?

Anyone up to checking hikers' message boards for the amusing story about two women who were 5 min away from a campsite but refused help and ended up reaching it hours later after walking about in circles, to the point that the OP (in that board) was getting dizzy and finally decided to offer them help?

TheBlackRider How do you know which way the OP descended the mountain? She says she ascended the mountain from the Dow Crag side but unless I've missed something I can't see how you can possibly know which way she came down and which campsite she ended up at. There are a lot of different ways to get down the mountain especially when you are lost

My point is that posters are being melodramatic saying she was lost on the mountain for 9 hours when the OP hasn't said that.

It would be nice for the OP to clarify a few points, but it looks like she may have lost her way again. or doesn't give a shit about the thread, while we are over invested in it

My bet is that they descended it in circles around the mountain.

There is no walk off to a campsite, in any direction, that takes that long if you know where you are going

I think we can agree that the problem was they didn't know where they were going.

The OP doesn't say where the camp was - she might have driven to it for all we can tell- you can't determine what time they got off the mountain because the OP didn't say.

This is like an English comprehension test

I am an experienced hill walker (part of my job) I would not consider you an experienced walker if it took you until 2am to get off a hill in the lakes regardless of how lost you were!

With regards to the man. I highly doubt you'd find a rapist/murderer in the mountains.... More likely an alleyway in a city were there's more chance of meeting someone.

Wow i think people are giving the op an unnecessarily hard time here.

At least she had sensible equipment. Op i hope you are recovered now.

Also, out of interest does anyone like the national trust run navigation and map reading courses? I think i would enjoy it.

Lol, Did anyone watch Bear Grylls 'The Island' this evening. It was the turn of the women. It made me think of the OP.

I think you need to listen to your instincts. Read the other thread at the moment about this. Lots of MNers who listened to their instincts which turned out to be right.
You pick up on small things, that you can'[t explain, but which tell you not to trust someone. So it can sound silly when you try and explain it. But listen to it.

Ouch poor OP, was with the gentle poking of fun but dramatically turning conjecture into facts to beat the OP with and make them sound utterly rubbish, well, seems a bit mean really.

I'm just imagining being on the summit of, say Helvellyn , in the dark, with no bearings, not able to see the route ahead. 'Heading downhill' would take you on initially ok slopes down to either the lethal scree/cliffs above Red Tarn, or the start of Swirral or Striding Edge, both of which would be dangerous in the dark, and then eventually you might hopefully re-trace and find the Thirlmere descents.

I would hate to be out on the high fells in the dark bless on a path of the type that comes into Langdale from Crinkle Crags / Bowfell - the one that is practically paved. I would do anything to start my descent with plenty of time to see the path and route ahead. And am surprised your torch batteries lasted til 2am.
'Off path' there are so many ways to sprain your ankle in deep holes in the heather, sudden steep drops into becks, scree, .....

As for your friendship, can you go for a drink and talk about how you both had different fears and assessed risk in different ways and the main thing is you made it back safely in the end

Sounds awful. But I would have preferred him in front of me and showing me the way down the mountain than possibly following behind and scaring me!

How does your friend manage with being an experienced walker in a remote area if she needs a real loo? And why did you take your tent on your walk if not for emergencies such as this?

Though I guess setting up camp and being unable to sleep because of wondering if mountain man was going to get you may have worried you a bit.

Trying to get down a mountain in the dark sounds a bit dangerous though. I would have camped I think. And your friend could have said " well, I need help so thanks" so at least you stuck together.