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walk the line | 15 MOUNTAIN RESCUE O A LIFELINE FOR BY GEN WARD (DWMRT) teams profile, the second to ensure all those who participated came away from the event safely whilst having enjoyed their time on the mountain and the third to try raise some much needed funds to help purchase a 4x4 stretcher capable vehicle to improve the level of pre-hospital care we could provide to those we rescue. As a member of the DWMRT for 15yrs, I do like a challenge, the Line". We set ourselves 3 main goals: The first was to raise our n June 25th 2011, the Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team (DWMRT) took on our biggest fundrais- ing and public relations project to date called "Walk but project managing this event was taking me across a line I had never walked before. I quickly realised this was never going to be about one person this had to be a team effort and it cer- tainly was. The organising of this event took a lot of time and effort and as volunteers who go out to search and rescue those who find themselves lost and or injured in the mountains, we knew safety had to be our highest priority. The route chosen took our 32km walk along the boundary of the Dublin & Wicklow Mountains, starting at Kilbride and finishing in Marlay Park. To fit in with the summer solstice we started the walk at 9pm at night and the plan was each partici- pant would find themselves on a peak at sunrise. The team worked hard for months, ensuring we did our best Park, Coillte, Leave No Trace and Marlay Park to ensure we met all the permit requirements and we are proud to have organ- ised "Walk the Line" in accordance with these principles and became one of the few Challenge Walks to be supported by Mountaineering Ireland who had this to say about our event: "DWMRT has put a lot of effort into planning ''Walk the Line' to ensure that this event has a minimal impact on a beautiful and sensitive part of the Wicklow uplands, whilst also providing a safe and enjoyable experience for participants. We believe the event is in line with Mountain Ireland's Policy on Organised Events in the Mountains and that the approach taken provides a positive example for other groups." The scale of our ambitious route, our determination to do it to meet all the requirements to run a successful event which catered for the needs of all those who signed up, so all team members and volunteers walked the route as a full recce. Our team grew in size and strength as a result of this event. It was great to see the new working with the old, and team members working hand in hand with the many volunteers who selflessly gave up their time to guide and help out on the event. We worked hard with all the agencies such as the National purchase a 4x4 stretcher capable vehicle and look forward to updating you all when we do. But more important than any money raised was, witnessing that so many people were will- ing to put themselves on the line for us when we needed them. Walking the line on June 25th was always supposed to be the right way and our duty of care to the 300 people we were about to spread over 32km of wild, mountainous ter- rain meant our team stepped its resources up to a new level to ensure the event succeeded. Moun- tain Rescue is traditionally a com- munity organisation – we live in the community we operate in, we serve the larger community of outdoor enthusiasts and we support the growing industry which supplies training and equipment to those who love the mountains. It shouldn't be surprising that so many from these communities volunteered their support and services to facilitate this event – from retired team members to professional guides, from bus-drivers to our main sponsor the Great Outdoors, from friends and family to complete strangers who offered to spend a cold night on the hill marshalling the route. Nonetheless we found ourselves constantly surprised at the generosity of the many people who made this event possible and we'd like to thank them all sincerely for their help. Without the communities that support us, we wouldn't have a purpose or the ability to do what we love to do. The good news is we are well on our way to being able to teamed up with our main sponsor the Great Outdoors to launch "Help Save a Life" and to "Walk the Line" June 23rd 2012. For more information contact us via email walktheline@ dwmrt.ie or log onto www.walktheline.ie. a challenge for any participant. With the mist and the bog, the darkness and the distance - make this an event that not everyone can take on. The disappointment on the faces of the few when they had to cut their challenge short, the courage of those overcoming physical limitations, the craic in the groups, the speed of the runners, the exhausted joy of the many who enjoyed a well-earned breakfast in Marlay Park meant so much to team members that we didn't need to debate about whether we're doing this again – we couldn't Not run it… We are officially launching "Walk the Line" 2012 and have www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE

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