To err is human, to forgive, divine
Written by David Gaffney, partner
29 February 2020
Good morning,
Just over a fortnight ago, The Sunday Post reported the happy fact that for the first time since safety records began nobody had died in the Scottish hills during January, one of the harshest months of the year. And to think some people say newspapers only ever report bad news.
Sadly, February has proven less kind, with two deaths in Scottish mountain ranges within the past 10 days and several other near misses, including avalanches, falls, and an increasingly hopeless search for a missing Slovakian walker.
The incident that triggered most column inches, however, involved four ill-equipped tourists rescued in blizzard conditions near the summit of Ben Nevis. They owe their lives to luck and the brave volunteers of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team (MRT).
I’ve written previously about the risks borne by those who head to the mountains, especially in winter. What that incident reminded me was that the hardy souls who willingly put themselves in danger to help those in trouble on our hills also refuse resolutely to play the blame game.
As social media was flooded with angry comments about the four young men airlifted to safety, John Stevenson of Lochaber MRT urged people to “cut the guys a little bit of slack”.
Similarly, John Allen, who led Cairngorm MRT for nearly 20 years, notes in the introduction to his excellent book, Cairngorm John: “No rescuer ever rushes to judgement, far less blame. Everyone involved knows that under different circumstances, in different times, it could have been them.”
We all make mistakes. Some have more serious consequences than others and often that is down to nothing more than good or bad fortune.
In all walks of life, I think we would do well to borrow from the ethos of the mountain rescue teams and cut people some slack.
Have a good and safe weekend.
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Read on The Economist
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Read on The New York Times
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Read on Heights of Madness
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