ICYMI: Hikers With Big Egos Refused Rescue From Mountain—Then Changed Their Minds!
Two hikers trapped on a snowy mountain rejected help, only to call for rescue again after getting lost and overwhelmed. 🌐 #News #Rescue #Accident #WeirdNews
ST. PAUL, MN – Two stranded hikers, overwhelmed by freezing temperatures and harsh terrain, were rescued after a series of reckless decisions left them lost and endangered, officials reported. The rescue operation took place a day after the men initially called for help, only to refuse it, thinking they could handle the night alone.
Rescue Attempt Rejected
The ordeal began Tuesday night in Scotland’s Cairngorms National Park when the hikers contacted the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team from the icy slopes of Ben MacDui, Scotland’s second-highest peak.
Freezing winds and disorientation had set in, and the pair initially feared one of them might be suffering from hypothermia.
Rescuers quickly mobilized and informed the hikers it would take three hours to reach them. But instead of waiting, the hikers made a risky decision—they declined assistance, opting to camp overnight and navigate their way out in the morning.
Willie Anderson, deputy leader of the rescue team, described the hikers as being “completely out of their depth” during an interview.
“They were a bit terrified that one of them had hypothermia,” Anderson said.
“We said we could get them off the hill now if one of them had hypothermia, and he said, ‘no, no, I don’t want to be rescued.’ If someone doesn’t want to be rescued, we can’t rescue them, so we left them.”
Desperate Call for Help
By morning, their confidence had crumbled. At around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, the hikers called for help once more, admitting they were lost on the plateau with limited visibility making navigation impossible.
Anderson explained, “Visibility wasn’t great, to be fair, so we did have to go and get them off the hill.”
Rescuers tracked the pair using their phone signal, and a small team intercepted them as they tried to make their way off the plateau. The hikers were safely escorted back to base by 2:30 p.m., ending a dangerous episode that could have turned fatal.
Rescuers Slam Irresponsible Actions
Anderson didn’t hold back in expressing frustration over the hikers’ poor decision-making. He said that the men appeared to view the rescue team as a backup plan rather than a life-saving resource.
“I think they missed the point that it was a bit of a waste of our time,” Anderson said.
“One of them, the least experienced, was very quiet, to be fair, and maybe realized. The other one just couldn’t see the problem.”
Warnings About Unnecessary Rescues
Anderson emphasized the danger of unnecessary rescue calls, which could divert attention from critical emergencies.
“The point the police made to them was that we might have been taken away from something far more urgent and serious,” Anderson said.
Next time they plan a mountain adventure, they might want to leave the ego at base camp. In the Cairngorms, overconfidence can chill you to the bone—literally.
RELATED TOPICS: Accidents and Rescues | United Kingdom | Weird News
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