Seven incidents in six days…
Our busy spell continues, with another seven call-outs in the last six days.
On Wednesday morning, we were called out to assist a walker on the Skye Trail who had taken unwell and was extremely cold. The weather that day was pretty challenging, with poor visibility and strong winds in the hills. That incident was still ongoing when we received a second report: Roderick MacPherson, an experienced walker, had last been seen near Sligachan on Monday afternoon and had not made contact with his family since.
Extensive searches were carried out, mainly focusing on the Red Hills and parts of the Northern Cuillin. On Thursday, thanks to helpful information from a local guide, efforts shifted to the area around Bruach na Frìthe.
Around midday on Friday, with improved weather and cloudless tops, a body was sighted on a grassy ledge high on the cliffs between Harta and Lota Corries. It was immediately clear that lowering the casualty to safety would be long and technically demanding. A team member was lowered to a position above and confirmed there were no signs of life, and that significantly more equipment would be needed.
Fortunately, Stornoway Coastguard Helicopter R948 was able to return and carry out a direct lift from the ledge—an incredible effort and a huge relief. The helicopter later returned multiple times to help extract the teams and equipment back to Sligachan.
Skye MRT contributed over 350 hours to this search—not including the time and effort given by:
Police Scotland (N Division) Mountain Rescue
Search and Rescue Dog Association Scotland (SARDA Scotland)
Local Coastguard teams including HM Coastguard – Portree, Isle of Skye
The helicopter crews of R948 and R951
Our sincere thanks to all involved. Thanks also to the Sligachan Hotel for feeding and supporting us on Wednesday night and Thursday.
Finally, Skye MRT extends our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Roderick MacPherson at this very difficult time. While formal identification has yet to be made, we understand this will come as deeply sad news to those that knew him.
