You both make some excellent points.
Not only did he put the dog in harm’s way, if he wasn’t prepared for the possibility of an overnighter, he put himself and his human companion at risk as well. It says in the article that several human rescues have had to be made in the last six weeks.
The descent to the tree line is also an excellent point. There were two of them. Had he been properly prepared he and his 19 year old companion could have made it out with with the dog. (I initially thought the companion might have been a little kid.)
But I have already stated...this guy is NOT the sharpest knife in the drawer. Good thing he isn’t married to me.
Pretend mountain climber to wife: “Honey, you are not going to believe what happened. Me and Little Next Door Neighbor and Missy were hiking on the mountain and a huge storm blew in. I forgot about taking any gear. It was a hair raising experience to get home. I was scared and cut up a little bit. Are you glad to see me?”
Wife: “I was so worried. I am glad you and LNDN are safe. Where is Missy?”
PMC: “Stupid dog got her paws all cut trying to keep up. We left her.”
Wife: “That’s o.k. We’ll go look for her tomorrow. I know how upset you must be.”
PMC: “Nah, she’s gonna die and I’m tired. I’ll get you another dog...or maybe mountain goat, I’d like that better anyway. It can eat the grass and I won’t have to mow.”
Wife: “Your divorce papers will be in the mail in the morning.”
Mt. Bierstadt is less than a day’s hike, so there’s no need to prepare for an overnighter. You encounter bad weather, you go down. But I guess hindsight is perfect for the chest thumpers here.
From the same article:
Anthony Ortalani made immediate contact with the Sheriff’s office asking for help with rescuing his dog.
Response:
The sheriff’s department also has a rescue team, and other hikers told them about Missy being stranded on Mount Bierstadt during the weekend. However, the rescue team was unable to respond because it is solely reserved for human rescues.
“We can’t specifically send a rescue effort for a dog,” Safe said. “We have a designated rescue team. In the last two weeks we have had six rescues, one a day on the weekends, for people. It is tough terrain out there.”