FOUR TEENAGERS on the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award gold medal scheme were found safe on Saturday after being posted overdue the previous night.

When a thick mist descended, the girls decided to set up camp—unknown to them it was very close to the place they were due to meet their supervisor.

Stephanie Hill and Lorna Mitchell (both 18) and Morvern Tomison and Hannah Kettles (both 17), all from Perth Academy, had set out from Dalwhinnie to walk 22 kilometres to the rendezvous where they were to spend the night.

Stephanie reckoned they walked 25-26 kilometres instead because of taking a wrong turning.

She said, “We had a few sore ankles—I went over on mine—and the wrong turning slowed us down.

“We made the camp site around two hours later than planned.”

Their supervisor Ian McCubbin waited an hour, but when there was no sign of the girls after that he raised the alarm and started to back-track their route.

He explained, “There was mist and cloud down to 50 metres from 9pm to 9am, and mobile phone coverage in the area is appalling.”

Searches for the girls began at first light when the cloud started to lift, but by that time they were on their way again.

Ian said, “They were eventually found at 12.45pm at checkpoint two.”

By that time Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team and colleagues from RAF Leeming—who were on exercise in Glencoe—had joined the search, and an RAF Lossiemouth helicopter added to the total at midday.

The group were eventually spotted from the helicopter as members of RAF Leeming closed in on them.

As with all Duke of Edinburgh’s Award members, they had been trained and were well-equipped.

Stephanie said, “It was cold when we decided to camp, and it was too windy to get our stoves going.

“We all put on our warmest clothes and ate as much food as we could.

“We then all snuggled up in a two-man tent, which kept us quite warm.”

Hannah added, “We were surprised when we saw the helicopter and the rescue teams, and thought they were for someone else.

“We just wanted to get going and get on with the expedition.”

The teenagers’ relatives were kept informed of developments from the moment they were posted overdue until the moment they were found.

Stephanie said, “My family were really pleased when they heard that we were all okay.”

Cairngorm leader John Allen, who is due to retire, was delighted with the outcome of what may be his last search—he said the girls had done the right thing.

After being interviewed, the girls set out to complete the last five kilometres of their second day’s target.