Right Place, Right Time: Will's rescueME PLB1 Activation Leads to Remote Rescue

What happened?

The rescueME PLB1 was deployed by Will King to get a rescue underway for a random hiker that he came across at a remote location away from the beaten track.

Will was on a personal tramping trip with 2 family members.  After setting up camp in the Valley of the Trolls, near Lake Wilson. Will chose to walk up a ridgeline in the evening around 7:00PM to take a photo of the campsite.

While taking this side-trip Will heard a faint noise. He heard a sound that reminded him of a young goat. Knowing that goats were unlikely to be in the area, he went to investigate.

Luckily, he did!  He found a young British woman on her own. Crawling up a hillside adjacent to the creek in which she had seriously hurt her ankle.  It appears that she had chosen a fairly rugged off-track route as part of her solo hiking mission without any emergency communications device.  She lost access to her backpack and had no survival gear with her.

Without Will hearing her, going to investigate and having a PLB to trigger. It is likely she would have spent the night alone and very likely would have become hypothermic before too long. The busted ankle would have been the least of her concerns.  We last heard that the young woman involved was waiting for surgery in Invercargill Hospital. We assume that as a result of the efforts Will made and the use of this PLB that she will recover in due course.

The Southern Lakes Sanctuary funds the company we work for. A large-scale conservation charity that aims to restore the natural habitat for our native birds and lizards around the Wanaka and Queenstown region. Check out more information at:  wwww.southernlakessanctuary.org.nz

Words of wisdom

If planning to travel off any well marked and commonly used hiking trails in New Zealand we highly recommend carrying at least extra layers of warm clothing, weatherproof clothing, a head torch and a personal locator Beacon.

Thank you note to the Ocean Signal team

All Southern Lakes Sanctuary field carry, as a minimum, a PLB, head torch, first aid kit and extra clothing to allow for changes in the weather. We appreciate and thank the Ocean Signal Team for supplying a quality PLB product that we know works, is small and lightweight.