Strangers banded together to organize an impromptu rescue yesterday after a couple, climbing Mt. Bierstadt to Mt. Evans in Colorado, found an abandoned german shepherd along a ridge connecting the two 14,000-foot mountains.
Amanda and Scott Washburn gave the dog food and water. But, suffering with bloody paws, the animal refused to be coaxed into hiking the difficult class-three boulder-filled terrain.
Official search and rescue teams were not an option, as they do not respond to animal calls, so the couple posted the story Saturday along with photos on the local climbing website, 14ers.com. A concerned team of volunteers returned that night to make the 3-hour climb to the estimated spot but after two hours could not locate her.
Substantial efforts to put together a second rescue party failed on Sunday, but early Monday morning, eight dedicated hikers and climbers – including an experienced climber named Chris O’Riley enlisted by the Colorado group, Animal Help Now – made their way up Bierstadt equipped with a large backpack, food, water and medical supplies, in the hopes of bringing her down.
The International Olympic Committee’s decision seven years ago to choose London has, after 17 sport-packed days, been joyously, wondrously vindicated.
His most moving moment of the trip was washing a car for “Oliver’s mom”, a parent of a boy with leukemia who doesn’t seem to have enough time for anything else but caring for her son.
“I don’t think I’m a hero. I really just did what anyone would have done,” said Russell. “I knew I had something that would help Albert and I used it. To me Albert is the hero for his service to our country in the Korean War.”
