It was an early start, and the 10 friends set off from the Scottish Borders at 6.00 am for a day of Munro bagging in the area surrounding Loch Earn. The plan had been to summit Ben Vorlich, and then to head over to Ben Glass and Ben Lawyers. What could possibly go wrong?
The first hill, Ben Vorlich, is an easy stroll in good weather, but with only a few hundred feet to go, the weather closed in, and the group found themselves walking in horrendous rain with little shelter from a biting northerly wind.
Sam had noticed that Billy was falling behind, and, knowing that Billy wasn't an experienced hillwalker, stayed with him, a few hundred yards behind the rest of the group. As time went on, Sam became aware that Billy was becoming increasingly irritable and seemed to be becoming a little confused. Sam might have been tempted to put it down to the bad weather, however he suspected there was more to Billy's change in demeanor than met the eye.
Sam asked Billy if he would like to stop for a break and something to eat, but Billy refused, not wanting to fall further behind the group.
They walked on, but it was clear that something was wrong. Quite quickly, Billy's condition deteriorated to an alarming degree, and Sam, growing increasingly concerned decided to ask Billy directly if he was had any medical conditions that might explain things. Billy confessed that he was diabetic, and that he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, 5 hours before.