Hillwalker injured on mountain top
Rescue teams found him the next morning
A frozen hillwalker had a miraculous escape after being stranded on a mountainside overnight with serious injuries.
A frantic rescue mission was carried out after the man slipped and badly broke a leg and an arm on Ben More, east of Crianlarich, on Tuesday evening.
The 49–year old from Edinburgh had been out walking with a male friend on the climb when it began to rain heavily and a mist descended.
The man’s friend opted to turn back and head back down the climb, whilst he decided to press ahead and reach the summit with his Collie dog.
A short time later he slipped and suffered the gruesome injuries.
He managed to raise the alarm at around 5pm and police notified Killin Mountain Rescue Team (Killin MRT) who mustered 25 of its volunteers to search for the man and his collie.
Killin MRT was then joined by ten members of Lomond Mountain Rescue Team and the continued to look for the missing man until 11pm on Tuesday.
The search was then postponed until Wednesday morning due to poor visibility.
The man and his pet were forced to wait out the foul weather and await assistance. The search recommenced at 8.30am on Wednesday morning.
The teams from Killin MRT and Lomond MRT were given additional assistance from volunteers from Ochils Mountain Rescue Team and the Coastguard helicopter from Prestwick, Ayrshire.
At around 10am on Wednesday morning a member of Killin MRT was searching the area with their dog when they spotted the man’s dog’s head pop out from long grass.
It’s believed that the man spent the night crawling down the climb on his hands and knees.
The Coastguard helicopter airlifted the man to hospital.
Bill Rose, from Killin MRT, said: “He was very wet and cold. The weather really was horrendous. It was raining very heavily and there was a thick mist. There was a layer of snow on the top 250 metres of the mountain.
“The weather turned on him very quickly.
“It’s very important that if you are going out on the hills to make sure you check the weather forecast and to make sure you know how to use a map and compass if you see mist.
“If you don’t have a map and compass or you don’t know how to use them then I would always suggest turning back and heading to safety.”
The dog was unharmed.