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PMR Rescues Hiker and Dog from Mount Hood
Sunday, May 29, 2005

Late Sunday afternoon, a team from Portland Mountain Rescue played a major role in the rescue of an injured hiker and his dog from Mount Hood's Zig Zag Canyon.

During a day hike on the Timberline Trail, the subject's pet dog walked off a cliff and fell down the steep face of the canyon. Trying to reach the dog, the hiker fell, sustaining minor injuries and becoming stranded. The man's wife called 9-1-1 from her cell phone and the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office requested assistance from a PMR "Ready Team" already on the mountain.

The PMR team gathered rescue gear from their equipment cache at Timberline Lodge and hiked over 3 miles to the scene. Rescuers rappelled down the canyon, secured the man and his dog, and lowered them to the trail. Though injured, the man was able to walk back to Timberline Lodge with the assistance of the PMR team and members of Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue. The dog's condition is not yet known.

Walking pets without a leash on wilderness trails is not advised, as the animals do not always recognize dangerous areas of trails. In fact, similar incidents have occurred in Zig Zag Canyon at least three times over the past four years.

Portland Mountain Rescue organizes Ready Team patrols on the South Side "standard" climbing route of Mount Hood during the peak climbing season from May to June. Ready Team activities include talking with and, if necessary, educating climbers on safe mountaineering practices, as well as being prepared for rapid responses in situations requiring high angle rescue.