A walker has spoken of the crucial part she and a friend played in the weekend rescue of two men from the wintry Angus glens.
The woman made the 999 call that led to the pair being airlifted to safety from Glen Doll, but only after they were helped by other experienced climbers who ventured back up the mountain help until an RAF helicopter flew in.
Trainee solicitor Rebecca Reid and student friend Hannah Froy had travelled from Edinburgh to spend Saturday walking in Glen Doll and were making their way off the hills when the afternoon drama unfolded.
Rebecca (26), who grew up in Arbroath, said they heard the shouts of the other walkers after the two men hit trouble in the Corrie Sharroch area.
One of the men had fallen down a snow slope and his friend was stuck on treacherous snow-covered ground, both unable to safely move or get mobile phone reception to make their own emergency call.
Rebecca said: “The path we were coming down had a lot of snow on it, and because the conditions were calm and no-one else was around we could hear their shouts.
“I think they had maybe been there for a while and were quite concerned, and had recognised they were going to have to make a call for help.
“It looked like they came off the path and tried to go down the side, but one had basically slid down and the other was half way up the slope.”
Rebecca made the 999 call that saw the turn-out of Tayside police and civilian mountain rescue teams and a rescue helicopter 137 at Lossiemouth scrambled to Angus.
“We spoke to them but we had to keep going. We had plenty clothes and a map, and we knew where we were going, so we didn’t think we were badly equipped, but we had to get back down to the car park. “
Soon after, the women met two experienced climbers with ice axes and crampons, and the actions of them in going back up to help the stranded pair have already been praised by Tayside Mountain Rescue team leader Stuart Johnston.
Rebecca continued: “We saw that they had all the equipment and we knew that mountain rescue were on their way.
“They said they would head back up the glen and give them whatever assistance they could.”
The stranded enthusiasts fortunately escaped with only mild hypothermia and Rebecca told The Courier the incident had probably been a learning experience for everyone.