Better than a dog

ian — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:05:17 +0000

I’ve been reading The unfortunate tourist of Helvellyn and his faithful dog, which recounts the death of Charles Gough from a fall in the mist in 1805 and the many accounts over the years of the dog who remained at his side till the body was discovered three months later. The spot was close to the top of Helvellyn, where I was walking with an old friend last April (See photo opposite) and where a monument to the dog’s ‘heroic vigil’ was built in 1892.

Why has there been such an obsessional interest in this story from painters and poets including Wordsworth ever since? After all walking in mountains always entails dangers and deaths occur all too frequently. I’m reminded of a similar accident in the heat of August two years ago in Crete involving a brother and sister from a group of Polish tourists, which I described in SOS – Tourism, Technology and the Samaria Gorge.

There were errors, negligence, a massive search and slow dehydration and hallucinations for the young couple, before their bodies were found on this wild mountain. Yet this tragic story – with only a human witness and no dog – has now sunk without trace.

The moral of this for hill walkers in these days of mass tourism? Forget the dog and remember to take a map, compass and first aid kit. This way it’s much less likely you’ll have to rely on help from the excellent Keswick Mountain Rescue Team to get you out of trouble.

POSTCRIPT: The Keswick Mountain Rescue Team is one of the local charities which we will be supporting as part of our Green charter for The Larches.

Lakeland Belvedere» “Lake District walks Helvellyn”

Better than a dog