Blizzard conditions

“I read the recent story of two men being rescued by the SCAA helicopter in the area of the Kilbo Path in Glen Clova,” emails Allan Morton. “I recognised that spot from a similar rescue I took part in when I was a member of the Tayside Police Mountain Rescue Team.

“A father, his son and his son’s friend (both about 10 years old) had been walking in the area and had been overcome by the elements. Unable to see where they were, and with conditions deteriorating, they huddled behind a large rock, hopefully until a rescue was organised.

“They must have become lost in late afternoon and, when they had not returned home, they were reported missing about 8pm. They had been static in blizzard conditions for many hours and, in all probability, would not have survived the night. Mobile phones did not exist then.

“We were called out about 9pm. At Glen Clova car park snow conditions were so deep that to walk up the Kilbo Path would have taken hours, so a Wessex helicopter dropped us somewhere down the path from the spot shown in your paper. Conditions were so bad that it could not take us directly to the top. On walking up to the plateau, we lined up and advanced across the area.

“I was on the extreme left of the line of searchers and walked right upon the three casualties, absolutely frozen. If I had been 20 yards to the right, we might have missed them. We warmed them up with hot drinks and put spare jackets around them, as well as building a small circular wall of snow to get them out of the wind. The temperature that night would have been about -20C.

“A Sea King helicopter was able to land beside us and it took the three to DRI. We then had to walk down through three-foot snow drifts back to the car park.”

“I came across this charming children’s portrait,” says the reader who sent it in. “There is no information about the subjects, but the photographer was C F Partoon, 55 Nethergate, Dundee, and Murray Street, Montrose.”

Eric Niven photographed one of the beautiful sunsets we have had recently. This one is over Princes Street, Dundee.