Hiker hurt in fall during charity mountain trek

A hiker undertaking an epic 1,200km (745-mile) trek for charity had to be rescued from a mountain after breaking his ankle - a fracture which he said left his foot sticking out at a 90 degree angle.

Jake Evans, from Shrewsbury, was on the final munro of Scotland's Watershed route on Friday when he was blown over by a sudden and "incredible blast" of wind at about 18:00 GMT.

The 32-year-old was injured in the fall and managed to crawl to a place where he could set up a makeshift shelter before calling for help.

It took about six hours for rescuers to get to him before he was brought down the mountain and taken to hospital in Inverness, where he is scheduled to have an operation.

Evans, who was four days from completing the challenge after starting on 9 January, said he was feeling optimistic before he felt an "incredible blast of wind" near the summit of Ben Klibreck in Sutherland.

"I've never experienced wind like it," he told BBC Radio Shropshire. "It just randomly hit me and blew me over."

Evans managed to reset his ankle but the pain was "excruciating" when he tried to stand, so he called 999 and gave Scottish Mountain Rescue his location.

He said he was not scared as he was well-prepared, wrapping himself up in a survival blanket and using a rain poncho as a shelter.

Evans passed some of the time checking the Winter Olympics updates on BBC Sport and he even had an "emergency" hip flask of whisky with him.

"I didn't think I would have to use it but it came into its own," he said.

Volunteers from Assynt Mountain Rescue reached Evans at about 00:30 GMT on Saturday.

They made sure he was warm before taking him part of the way down the mountain on a stretcher.

When the conditions eased, he was picked up by a helicopter at about 08:00 GMT and transferred to a waiting ambulance.

Evans said he got to the hospital at midday – about 18 hours after the fall – and doctors told him he had fractured his ankle in two places.

About 15 rescuers were involved in the operation and Evans described them as "incredible" people.

"I didn't want something like this to happen… because it's pretty terrifying, but it makes a good story," he said. "It will add to the adventure when I recover."

Evans was taking on the challenge to raise money for mental health charity Mind and rewilding charity Scotland: The Big Picture.

Posting on Facebook, the Assynt Mountain Rescue Team confirmed it was called to help a hiker with a lower limb injury on Friday evening.

"The casualty was located, provided with shelter, warmth, food and pain relief before being stretchered over the summit and back down to the lower slopes," the post said.

The team said it was a "huge and successful" effort, adding that some members were awake for more than 48 hours.

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