On Thursday, July 6th, Chaffee County Search & Rescue – North was alerted to a dog in distress at nearly 13,600 feet, near the summit of Mt. Hope.
Bailey, a 100-pound German Shepherd, was immobile and unable, or unwilling, to continue after having summited earlier that afternoon. After a few hours of trying to coax him along, his owner determined that he was concerned for his own wellbeing and needed to descend himself but was unable carry Bailey down the class 3 ridge.
Using coordinates from a cell phone ping to determine Bailey’s general location, two teams of eight members fielded at approximately 2:30 pm to the Sheep Gulch trailhead and hiked seven miles up the east ridge of Mt Hope. Following a brief search, members were able to locate Bailey, who greeted the team with grateful wags.
Members alternated carrying Bailey in a dog-sling backpack to slowly transport him back down the ridge.
By 1:15 in the morning of July 7th, almost 12 hours after the call came in, all twenty members involved in the incident were out of the field and Bailey’s owner was able to retrieve him from the Search and Rescue bay in Buena Vista and ensure he had a soft, comfortable bed in which to recover from his long day.
Most recent reports are that he is doing well and will receive a full vet check as soon as possible.
Chaffee County Search and Rescue – North noted that although search and rescue doesn’t officially respond for animals, they are all huge animal lovers, so, they do what they can.
