A 52-year-old German woman stranded overnight on a Co Mayo mountain in low cloud, strong winds and heavy rain kept contact with rescuers via text messages in order to conserve dwindling battery power on her mobile phone.
Ms Monika Herholdt, a veteran hill walker from Berlin, showed tremendous energy by walking unaided off Slievemore mountain on Achill Island shortly after noon yesterday and securing a lift to Keel Garda station. where teams of mountain rescue personnel trying to locate her had set up their base station.
Despite being exposed to what one rescuer, Mr Tomas McLoughlin of Mayo Mountain Rescue, described as "brutal conditions", Ms Herholdt was fresh and talkative as she recounted her experiences over a cup of tea in the Garda station.
"She is one hardy woman," said Mr McLoughlin, who spent the night on the mountain with other members of Mayo Mountain Rescue team.
"Visibility was down to a few feet. I conversed with Ms Herholdt on the phone. She was in good form but totally disorientated".
After taking some sustenance in the Garda station, Ms Herholdt, who had been on the mountain for more than 20 hours, refused an offer of hospital treatment.
She contacted Ms Sorcha Kennedy of Rich View Hostel, where she regularly stays, and went back to the hostel for a rest. Later Ms Kennedy said her guest had been well prepared for the weather with boots and raingear and a robust cape which kept the unrelenting rain and wind off her.
Throughout the night she kept her strength up by nibbling on cheese and crackers, and drinking orange juice.
Ms Herholdt spoke briefly to reporters before leaving for her hostel. She admitted she hadn't started out early enough on Wednesday to climb Slievemore, which she has climbed several times before.
She had gone to the top of Slievemore and come down on the wrong side. Then the darkness came down and the weather worsened. "Luckily I had good clothes with me and something to put around me," she said.
Ms Herholdt raised the alarm at about 4.30 p.m. on Wednesday when visibility fell to a couple of yards. As the night wore on she resorted to texting rescuers as the power of her mobile's battery's was fading.