My friend and I were on our way down from Carn Brea, having traversed from Mt Cloudsley and Mt Enys.

As the clock struck 6 pm, my friend, in a hurry, walked ahead and, unfortunately, took the wrong direction, disappearing into the thick fog. I set out to find her and ended up sliding down a steep rock stream, coming dangerously close to the Whitewater Stream.

By 7:30 pm, realizing I needed help, I pulled out the ResQLink 400 PLB, making good use of my ingenuity to navigate the challenging terrain.

I carefully descended to the riverbed, where I tended to my cuts, filled up my water bag, and continued walking, hoping my head torch would catch my friend’s attention.

As the night wore on, my energy dwindled, and by 9:30-10 pm, I found myself wrapped in an emergency blanket, waiting for rescue.

As the temperature dropped around 11:50 pm, and the rain and wind picked up, I began showing signs of hypothermia. Fearing that no one would come before dawn in this weather, I made the tough decision to start walking when I had regained some energy.

Shortly after 1 am, I heard the welcome sound of human voices—the LandSAR heroes had found me. Due to the challenging weather, the helicopter couldn’t reach us, so the dedicated LandSAR team from Oxford came to the rescue.

It’s worth noting that the PLB, belonging to my friend Ziqian, was a crucial lifesaver in this ordeal. Ziqian had purchased it from a third party dealer, and after the incident, I returned it to the shop for battery replacement, grateful for the device that played a key role in ensuring our safety.