Operations 2005
August 2005. A party of hillwalkers, traversing the Five Sisters of Kintail, were descending from Beinn Bhuidhe, at the shoulder of Sgurr nan Saighead, in the late afternoon when one of them fell and broke his ankle.
No helicopter support was available and the team walked in by the path up the Allt a'Chruinn. With the casualty safely in the stretcher, the team set off towards the roadside the old-fashioned way. It was a beautiful evening but we cannot be sure what caused the casualty the most discomfort: the broken ankle or the horrendous clouds of midges. Additional team members were still arriving and fortunately one brought headnets and insect repellent.
The last part of the carry was down the steep and more winding path just above the main road. We reached the waiting Ambulance in the dark after a 3 hour carry down 700m of hillside with the casualty still smiling.
Take special care when descending, especially at the end of a long tiring day.