A dad and son's Easter holiday camping trip turned into a nightmare when they woke up in the middle of the night and had to cut their adventure short. Nine-year-old Will Garratt wanted to use his school break to climb Scafell Pike in Cumbria with his father Dave, 45.
After hiking for around three hours on day one, the pair decided to set up camp near Sprinkling Tarn on Seathwaite Fell before attempting to reach the summit the following morning.
Under a clear night sky, the pair enjoyed some stargazing before heading to bed. But things took a turn for the worse when Will woke up at 4am vomiting, Lancashire Live reports.
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"It was quite sudden and severe, but being dark and -1 degree Celsius outside, we had no option other than to wait it out and keep warm," Dave said. Will's mystery illness left him unable to eat and even sips of water were making him throw up.
Once the sun was up, Dave strapped Will's backpack onto his and tried to help Will, who was still being sick, back down the mountain. But with Will's health deteriorating the concerned dad decided to get some help, and called on the emergency services to rescue them.
"He was tough throughout with no complaining," Dave said. "But with strong winds and minus temperatures, it was clear we could not continue safely. Will was exhausted due to the sickness, drifting in and out of sleep, vomiting continuously, so we requested assistance from mountain rescue via our satellite communications.”
Keswick Mountain Rescue Team (KMRT) and Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) responded to the incident and Will was checked over by the paramedic and doctor team from GNAAS who reassured him that he would feel better soon and didn’t need to visit a hospital.
Due to the remote location, Will and his father went in the air ambulance and were airlifted down to Seathwaite in Borrowdale so they could easily reach their vehicle and drive back home.
Dave said: “The sudden illness was a mystery. He had only eaten the same as me but he was totally exhausted and it continued for a further twelve hours once home."
Will, who turns 10 in September, has now decided to attempt an even greater challenge in order to raise money for the organisations that helped him in his time of need.
Dave added: “He has now decided to climb all three peaks – Scafell Pike 978m, Snowdon 1085m and Ben Nevis 1345m, this year before his 10th birthday in September in order to raise awareness and funding for both charities.”
To sponsor Will visit his JustGiving page.
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