SEATTLE — One Colorado service dog likely trekked higher and farther than any other service dog has gone before.
Loki and his human, Elizabeth Briggs, made the tough trek to Mount Rainier’s summit on Tuesday.
Briggs has climbed 57 of Colorado’s 58 14,000-foot peaks with Loki, hiking companion McKenzie Johnson posted on Facebook.
For the Rainier climb, Loki had a harness certified for climbing and sun protection goggles.
He was given a personal anchor system that was clipped directly to Briggs’ rope.
However, the climb wasn’t without issues.
The rope management was a little more tedious with Loki involved since he wanted to walk faster than the mountaineers, which made “maintaining proper spacing” a chore, Johnson said.
Briggs also had to keep the rope taut to keep it from getting tangled in Loki's feet. After redirecting the rope through his harness, the ascent went much more smoothly.
Johnson stresses that lots of planning and safety precautions were put into their trip.
She also said she would not recommend this trek for any old service dog. Johnson said she agreed to the climb because of Briggs’ and Loki’s extensive climbing training and mountain experience.
Mount Rainier National Park has several rules regarding service animals and pets in the park.
