Whatcom’s Summit to Sound aids in unusual search in Mount Baker wilderness
Whatcom County’s Summit to Sound Search and Rescue has kept busy the past five months of the coronavirus pandemic doing deliveries from Whatcom Unified Command and the food bank.
But as usual, most of the group’s volunteer work is out in the wilderness rescuing or finding lost or injured people.
“But sometimes we work with WASART (Washington State Animal Response Team) on pets and livestock in emergency situations,” Summit to Sound told The Bellingham Herald in a Facebook message.
One of those opportunities to work with the Washington State Animal Response Team came last weekend, when the two organizations partnered in an attempt to locate Penny, a dog that had gone over a cliff approximately five miles up the Lake Ann Trail in the Mount Baker wilderness, Summit to Sound reported.
On Sunday, Aug. 2, a team of five volunteers hiked to the spot where Penny’s owners had lost track of the female 20-pound labradoodle, according to Summit to Sound.
Another team was sent to a higher location for radio relay, while another handled transport and support, according to a Summit to Sound Facebook post Monday.
The team completed four or five rappels of approximately 200 feet down the cliff near last known point and a couple more 400-foot rappels, Summit to Sound reported.
“Unfortunately, the dog was not found or heard. In the end, we weren’t able to reunite the dog with her owner, but we were able to confirm for the owner the dog was not stuck on a ledge or suffering,” Summit to Sound told The Herald.
The owner said they would post some posters near the trailhead, which is along the road to Artist Point.
If you happen to find Penny, Summit to Sound said to email info@wasart.org to be connected with her family.
