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On August 13, 2012 I participated in a dog rescue on the Sawtooth Ridge between Mt Bierstadt and Mt. Evans. Scott and his wife had spotted her there two days before and had organized this rescue party. This is where we found the dog in the boulder field below the ridge. It turns out that she had been there for 8 days after having been left by her owner.
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A very sweet dog who was glad to see us.
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The spot she was in was a very cramped area so we carried her to a better place to get her into a backpack in order to carry her out.
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Look at that face.
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This is the area where she had been left 8 days previously. It is difficult terrain, steep and lots of loose rock. To get her out we had to carry her back up to the summit of Bierstadt and then down to Guanella Pass where we were parked.
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Into the backpack.
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Image0520.jpg 2012-08-13
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Image0521.jpg 2012-08-13
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This is Scott carrying her now, he is the man who found her 2 days before and who had organized the rescue.
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Going up the slope. The dogs feet were torn up and she was dehydrated and malnourished so she was in no shape to do the climb herself.
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If not for Chase, the man in the red jacket carrying her now, it would have been much more difficult. He did a lot of the hauling. We called the dog "Lucky" and she weighed over 100 pounds.
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If it looks steep & rocky, it is.
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When we got to the Bierstadt summit, the light snow that had started to fall on the way up turned to a blizzard.
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On the way down from the summit.
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P1010545.JPG 2012-08-13
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The group of 8 who participated in the rescue. Left to right in the back row - Me, Christoph, Alex, John, Sefan, Ralph, front row -Chase, "Lucky" the dog (aka Missy), Scott. The dog's owner (who as previously stated had abandoned her 8 days before) came forward to claim her, but at this point she has not been returned to him and as to where she will end up is unknown. This rescue was an amazing and emotional event to participate in and I will remember it for the rest of life.