A HIKER has paid tribute to the rescue crews whose bravery saved her from a bleak mountainside.

Mary Ann Wake, 45, of Warren Road, Wilmington, was hiking with her husband Graeme on the first day of their holiday in the USA when she slipped and fell, badly injuring her ankle.

Her fall on Mount Washington in New England, sparked a four-hour rescue operation carried out by volunteers who braved violent lightning and torrential rain to get her to safety.

Mrs Wake said: "The whole episode has renewed my faith in human nature. The rescue teams were wonderful."

The couple were descending the mountain when Mrs Wake fell.

"It wasn’t far – only 4ft – but I knew I had really hurt my ankle," she said.

"Graeme made me comfortable and set off back up the mountain to raise the alarm.

"Luckily he bumped into two girls who sent him back to sit with me, while they got help."

But as the pair sat waiting for the rescue teams, the weather started to close in.

Mr Wake said: "Mount Washington is famous for the weather changing in a moment.

"The rescue teams turned up, secured Mary Ann’s injured leg with a splint and we then made our way in treacherous conditions back up the mountain.

"It was slippery and the lightning was flashing all around us – it was terrifying."

The couple eventually made it back to the hut at the top of the mountain where they waited, along with 200 other people driven back by the weather, for conditions to get better.

Mrs Wake was then taken by road ambulance to hospital with Mr Wake following in the car.

He said: "I was driving down the mountain and had to stop to let three moose cross the road and then came face-to-face with a brown bear.

"I couldn’t believe that the day could have got even more bizarre."