The Donegal Mountain Rescue Team has pleaded with people out walking to leave notes on their cars to tell people when they will return.
The warning comes after a massive search involving the Rescue 118 helicopter and the DMRT was sparked after a woman abandoned her bike.
The tourist left her bike at the Martello Tower near Glen Head at Glencolmcille on Thursday and failed to return to collect it until yesterday.
The operation involving 16 members of DMRT and the search and rescue chopper cost a considerable amount of time and resources.
A spokesman for the DMRT said they were delighted the woman had been found safe and well.
“It’s a tribute to locals and how they kept their vigilance.
“The problem here however was that nobody had been reported missing and we simply didn’t know who owned the bicycle,” he said.
He appealed to people to think before simply going off without telling anyone where they are going.
“People need to be responsible. People should leave a note in a car telling others where they are going, when they will be back and phone number.
“At least that way we can tell if they are missing, known their rough location and have a contact for them.
“It’s going to get busy on the hills and mountains of Donegal from now on into the summer and this kind of information could the difference between life and death,” he said.
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