A climber has died after being found by members of his own mountain rescue team.
James Edwards, 36, was airlifted to hospital after falling in the Fisherfield Mountains at the weekend.
The Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team braved a six-hour hike to reach him in “atrocious weather” – including heavy rain and fog.
Mr Edwards died of his injuries on Wednesday, Dundonnell MRT said yesterday.
The father-of-two had been climbing for more than a decade and was off duty when the accident happened.
In a post on Facebook, team leader Donald MacRae said:”The walker we rescued last Saturday morning has very sadly died of his injuries. This was an immensely difficult rescue for us as a team as the casualty was a fellow team member, James Edwards. We are all completely numbed by this outcome. Our thoughts, love and support are with his wife Tanya and their two little boys.
“We are grateful for the additional assistance rendered last Saturday by our colleagues in neighbouring team, Torridon MRT, and the crew of HM Coastguard helicopter ‘Rescue 948’.”
Mr Edwards had fallen in an area known as the Great Wilderness in the Highlands, containing some of the remotest Munros – mountains over 3000 feet – in the country.
Dundonnell and Torridon mountrain rescue teams were first called out at 10pm on Friday to go to the fallen climber in Fisherfield Forest mountains.
The appalling weather conditions meant the Stornoway Coastguard search and rescue helicopter could not get close to the injured man.
So that meant a six hour walk in with stretcher and kit for the rescue teams.
Mr Edwards was eventually airlifted to hospital after some skilful flying by the helicopter crew – but the rescue teams were not off the hill until around 10am on Saturday.
The helicopter later returned and carried both rescue teams off the mountain.
