Posted online: Mar 18th, 2010

The Donegal Mountain Rescue Team has just opened a rescue base at Glenveagh National Park.
So far this year, the team has dealt with 14 call-outs and this new facility is seen as a major boost to the voluntary organization.
Being centrally located in the county, it’s an ideal base and it’s also in an area where the DMRT has responded to four potentially serious incidents in the last two years.
On one occasion an American got lost in very severe wind and rain conditions walking from Dunlewy to the West Park area. The team was in contact with the walker who sheltered near an upland lake but had no idea where he was. The team finally found him at 5.00 am and walked him off the mountain to safety.
In another incident, an experienced walker was late coming off Dooish and phoned park personnel to say he was going to swim the park river near the ‘Stalkers Hut’ to gain access to the Glenveagh Bridal Path Road. Communications were then lost. A full call out was initiated between park staff, DMRT and An Garda. The walker was found safe near the car park. He had dropped his phone in the river during the crossing.
Other call-outs were to deal with a group from Belfast who were late coming off the Glenveagh ridge and were not equipped for night walking, and to find a rock climber who was reported missing in the Poison Glen area.
The DMRT, which has over 20 members and five response vehicles, also has a base in the old fire station in Glenties.