A fundraiser for the family of Sarah Buick has been launched after a search of Ben Nevis for the missing woman ended in heartbreak.
Police confirmed on Thursday that a body had been found during a search and rescue mission which was launched after she went missing.
Whilst the body has not been formally identified, officers informed Sarah Buick’s family of the discovery.
Many have shared their sadness at the news, with tributes to the Dundee woman shared online from across Scotland.
Now one fellow hillwalker has established a fundraiser for Sarah Buick’s family, with more than £100 raised within hours of it being set up.
Natalie Hunter is aiming to raise £1,000 for Sarah’s family.
Appealing for donations she wrote: “The hill climbing community and beyond are heartbroken by the recent events at Ben Nevis and the body of this young girl being found.
“I hope that any money raised helps Sarah’s family at this most horrific time.
“May she rest in peace.”
A total of 11 donations have been made so far, with £150 raised so far.
Natalie said the hillwalking community had been hoping for the best and had been sharing the appeal to trace her.
“I thought this would be a nice thing to do for her family if any of those people who had shared their kind thoughts wanted to pass money to her family.”
Natalie also explained she hoped it would raise awareness of the safety issues around hillwalking.
“Lots of people are talking about raising safety awareness, there’s lots of us who go out onto the hills and Munros alone.
“People are thinking more about what they are doing when they are going out alone, contacting people before they go and making sure they have the relevant kit.”
She said she had first climbed Ben Nevis with a “bottle of water and a packet of polo mints”, and she wanted to stress how quickly things can change.
“The hills and the mountains can turn quickly. We need to raise awareness that even if you are experienced the weather can decide what it is doing.
“I was very fortunate the day I did it, the weather was beautiful and it was only the last 20 minutes when the snow hits.
“It’s like night and day, you look around and there’s people with shorts and no top but you need to take a step back and think about what you need.
“In the last 15 minutes, I could have given up because it was so cold. It’s about having the awareness that what things look like at the bottom of hill won’t be how it looks at the top.”
Tributes continue
Sarah had posted a selfie from the summit of Ben Nevis at 5am on Tuesday, June 22, to her Facebook page.
The post has become the focal point for tribute to the 24-year-old, who came from Broughty Ferry.
John Sartain wrote: “Sincere condolences to Sarah’s family.
“A beautiful soul doing beautiful things taken way before her time. Heart-wrenching.
“Fly high angel.”
Julija Silionova added: “So sorry, so hard and sad to know the end of this adventure.
“I’m sure all Dundee hikers keep thinking about you today, Sarah.
“Fly high, you looked so happy on that early morning, and Ben Nevis was so bright for you.”