A TEENAGER has thanked mountain rescue teams for saving her, after she was injured while walking her dog.

Shannon Dunnon, 19, took her dog Dotty out for a walk on her own on Tuesday morning, but got into difficulty while venturing along Grisedale Pike, west of Keswick.

The beauty therapist slipped and damaged her ankle while on the fells and struggled to get signal on her phone to call for help.

She told the News & Star: “I was just on a walk with the dog by myself as I work shifts, so nobody else was off work to come with me.

“I’ve recently got back into fell walking, so decided to go Grisedale Pike as I’ve been before.

“I thought I knew the route but went right over it and then tried to find my way back down again, but because it was cloudy I got a bit lost.

“I didn’t realise how steep the hill I was coming down was, and that it was totally off the normal path.”

She carried on walking with Dotty, hoping to find a path or a familiar sight to venture back down when tragedy struck.

“I slipped on some rocks and went over on my ankle as the ground wasn’t steady at all,” Shannon recalled. “I realised I couldn’t walk on my foot and had to ring to get help.”

Now recovering after the incident, Shannon has praised the work of the rescuers.

“A huge thank you to the mountain rescue team, they were awesome.

“They went out of their way to make sure I was okay and went above and beyond trying to locate where I was as I had no GPS signal.

“It was a scary experience, but I felt in good hands, and they kept me at ease,” she continued.

“I was really worried, as I knew I had no 4G on my phone to even know where I was.

“I’m so glad they came to the rescue.”

After being airlifted to the Cumberland Infirmary, Shannon discovered she had sprained her ankle and fractured a bone on the top of her foot.

The mountain rescue team took care of her dog, Dotty, and brought her back with them. She was later collected by Shannon’s family.

Following the incident, the Maryport teenager has a message for others looking to go out alone on the Cumbrian fells.

She added: “Just be prepared. Plan your route, especially if the weather is quite bad, and maybe bring a whistle as it makes it easier for the mountain rescue to find you.”

A total of 14 Keswick Team members, plus volunteers from the Cockermouth Team, were called out to the scene just after 11am on Tuesday.

The rescue teams were there for four hours and 21 minutes.

A Keswick Mountain Rescue Team spokesman said: “A 19-year-old lone walker took a direct line from the Grisedale Pike ridge down to Force Crag Mine, near Long Crag (south side of Grisedale Pike).

“The person injured an ankle and was unable to continue. Keswick were initially low on numbers so asked for assistance from the Cockermouth Team.

“Both teams were deployed and after some initial difficulty the casualty was located, and then treated at the scene.

“Due to the steep and rocky ground and the worsening weather conditions a request was made for the Coast Guard helicopter support.

“Fortunately the cloud level was just high enough for the helicopter to come in and winch and thus evacuate the casualty to Carlisle hospital.

“The team then returned to base to sort and dry kit.”

For more on Keswick Mountain Rescue Team, and details on how to support them, visit keswickmrt.org.uk