Cairngorm John: A Life in Mountain Rescue Paperback – Illustrated, 24 Sept. 2010

Brilliant and inspiring. John offers wonderfully written accounts of his experience of mountain rescue. The people, the animals, the machinery, the methods, the victories and the losses. I found some of the accounts powerfully emotive. Thanks for sharing, John. Yours is a life well lived.

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The stories, good and bad, show the work these volunteers do in all weather.Very brave people, fascinating. Fully recommended

I came across this book merely by accident because, unlike most mountain books that stack my shelf or I'm waiting in anticipation for release, I had no idea that this one existed. However, I accidentally came across it on Amazon after searching on "Cairngorm".The book is a valuable insight into the Mountain Rescue services and one particular team (the Cairngorm MRT) that faces the dangers of both summer and winter seasons on a yearly basis. The book explains how the Cairngorm MRT was developed, which is very interesting, but also how one or two key rescues changed the MRT SOPs and attitudes towards other services and the public themselves. The book does describe the less known aspects of the MRTs outside the general public knowledge and that is one of recovering bodies on the mountain and this dark side to the role is yet another aspect that we take for granted by the MRT in Scotland, England and Wales.As someone that holds the ML and has also faced a savage winter experience in the Cairngorms, that resulted in our little group heading desparately for Shelter Stone in a total white out and with a member showing signs of fatique and hyperthermia, I can only take my hat off to the lads in the MRT that do what I did (i.e. bring the group to safety) on what is sometimes a day to day basis. On that particular occasion, two of out three of us had winter or survival training and therefore we managed to walk back down to the Ski Centre the next day but it is certainly reassuring that in different circumstances a team as professional as the Cairngorm MRT would have been on standby to help if necessary.Anyone who wonders why the UK MRTs are not full paid professionals (they are professionals in their own right) should read this book and learn the opinions of one particular leader and the general opinions of those that do this without pay but certainly with a great deal of well deserved pride.

It's a fascinating and absorbing book which I found difficult to put down; there were a couple of very late nights before it was finished. It is part-autobiography, part-mountain story and should be compulsory reading for anyone heading out to the hills.Living on the edge of the Lake District I walk regularly with a rucksack full of "just in case but I hope I don't have to use it" kit. I have often wondered about the inner workings of the Mountain Rescue teams who are such an integral part of the outdoor world and this book is a wonderful journey into the lives and minds of those who will turn out in the worst of conditions to help total strangers.One of the strong messages I came away with is the outstanding humanity and selflessness of John Allen and his team members and how (99% of the time) they are so non-judgemental of those needing assistance. The criticism of a school group who demanded help and were rude and ungrateful when it was given is measured and considered, although I suspect had I been around at the time I would have found it hard not to treat a couple of the schoolgirls to a well-deserved slap. If the author felt the same then he is far too polite to say so.I also learnt more than I previously knew about hypothermia which is no bad thing. A few parts made me smile, on one or two I laughed out loud and one particular rescue touched a nerve and brought a tear to the back of my eye.Whether you regularly head off the beaten track or even just have a passing interest in mountains and Mountain Rescue then this is well worth a read.

The book doesn't feel like it has been written by a professional writer. This is not to say it is badly written but it is not a book you would read just for the quality of the writing. But if you want to know more about those involved in mountain rescue and read some amazing stories of life and death in the mountains, you should enjoy this book. The stories are told simply, the author does not bother with hype. It is not needed when the real-life stories stand up well on their own. Some stories will make you angry, others sad and some can only make you admire those involved, both the rescuers and those in trouble.The author spends a lot of time reflecting on the rescues, especially those that did not go well and how facilities and procedure improved over the years. He also talks about the politics and funding of mountain rescue and his interaction with the press and other critics. I think this is necessary background to the stories of rescue, otherwise they have no context. Others have suggested the author may have old grievances to air but that didn't come across to me.The author also describes his career and family life which again provides context and reminds you that the service is run by volunteers.If you've walked in the Cairngorms, this book may bring back memories and will probably make you realise how close to disaster you yourself have been in the past! Keep safe in the mountains.

If you have an interest in the Cairngorms and that area, then this book is a unique insight into how the weather, conditions, and the rescue team that is responsible for it : all volunteers.The writer holds your interest with real situations and, whilst rarely judgemental, you get that sense of him sometimes defining how people react to the weather, terrain, and common sense (or lack of it) when venturing in the great outdoors.A must-read.....