THE woman who survived dreadful overnight conditions after being stranded on Mangerton mountain has advised others to check the weather forecast before they set out on a hike, it has emerged.
Mai Murphy from Gneeveguilla spent close on 18 hours on the mountain after conditions deteriorated rapidly when she was half way through her climb.
A 35-strong group of volunteers from the Kerry Mountain Rescue Team were called into action shortly after 3.00pm on Monday.
Mrs Murphy was brought to safety shortly after 8 o’clock on Tuesday morning.
The extensive search operation was hampered by appalling weather conditions with torrential rain eliminating visibility on the mountain.
The volunteers pinpointed the woman’s location but they couldn’t risk reaching her in the darkness and they had to wait until daybreak to complete the operation.
Mrs Murphy, who is in her 50s, confirmed today that she didn’t check the weather forecast before she left home but that conditions were good at the time.
“When I started out the weather was fine – everything was grand,” she said.
An experienced mountaineer who often guides others on Mangerton, she has been climbing the mountain up to three times a week for the past nine or 10 years.
She was taking a break half way through her climb on Monday when a dense black fog suddenly descended and she could no longer see beyond the length of her arm.
“I couldn’t get out of it. I realised I was in big trouble,” Mrs Murphy said.
She contacted her family by mobile phone and the Kerry Mountain Rescue Team was alerted.
She said she was cold on the mountain overnight but she was wearing good gear and had sufficient food supplies. The rescue volunteers were close by and had established voice contact to check on her every half hour or so.
Mrs Murphy said she would be sure to check the weather forecast before she sets out in future.
