WATCH YOUR STEP
“How’s the casualty?” That was the first question asked by Mountain Rescue volunteer Chris Lewis to a team-mate from his hospital bed, after suffering life-changing spinal injuries while attempting to rescue a stricken wild camper from the Lake District’s winter mountains in February. As you’ll read in detail on page 56, Chris and his fellow members of the Patterdale Mountain Rescue team answered that call for help without judgement or hesitation, putting themselves in harm’s way to save the life of a complete stranger. As we come out of the latest lockdown and mountain regions become accessible once again, spare a thought for those tasked with protecting us on our trips to the hills. After so many months away, we’re all rightly desperate to get back, but the pressure that will pile on Mountain Rescue and emergency services is likely to be significant. It’s impossible to mitigate against all accidents, but you can make a start by wearing the right kit, planning your routes carefully, and getting yourself as skilled up as possible before that first mountain ascent. So enjoy Trail’s first ever wellbeing issue, gorge on the kit in our 2021 Gear Guide, pick out some new bucket list routes, then let’s all get our walking boots back on. It feels like, at long last, this could be an exciting summer! Oli Reed, editor
(Twitter @the_outdoordad)