A father and son's holiday camping trip turned into a nightmare when one of them developed a mystery sickness bug and had to be airlifted to safety.
Dave Garratt, 45, and nine-year-old son Will were enjoying a hiking trip to Scafell Pike in Cumbria during the Easter holidays when they set up camp near Sprinkling Tarn on Seathwaite Fell.
The pair had been hiking for three hours on day one and were planning to reach the summit the following more, Lancs Live reports.
But a peaceful night of stargazing took a turn for the worse when Will woke up at 4am in -1 degree weather conditions continually vomiting.
"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.
The mystery illness left the youngster unable to keep anything down and when the sun was up, Dave attempted to help will back down the mountain.
But Will was continuing to be sick and his health appeared to be deteriorating so Dave had to phone the emergency services for help.
"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.
With the location so remote, Will and Dave had to be airlifted back down to Seathwaite in Borrowdale by an air ambulance. They were able to safely drive home when they reached their vehicle.
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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