Rumors Spread About A Howling In The Mountains, So These Men Hiked Up And Made A Startling Discovery

High up in the peaks and valleys of the Colorado mountains, mysterious howling was heard by local residents. Avid adventurers Sean Nichols and Trinity Smith pulled on their hiking boots and decided to investigate what exactly was behind the harrowing howls…

How It All Happened

Larry Osborne and Anouk Patel live in the town of Alma, Colorado. The couple runs the rowdy and popular local watering hole, the South Park Saloon.

Like To Explore

With their hometown nestled in the beautiful Rocky Mountains, the couple love to explore the lush surroundings. Their favorite pastimes include hiking, skiing, fishing and camping, which they most often enjoy with their son Shail and their beloved dog Chloe.

Beloved Dog Runs Away

In 2017 Osborne and Patel were walking a local hiking trail with their Labrador-pit bull mix. As they made their way further and further into the mountains, their 14-year-old dog Chloe suddenly ran from the couple, galloping into the distance.

Distraught And Worried

The couple was distraught at the prospect of losing their family pet. After searching for the dog for hours as the sky began to darken. They surrendered the search and turned to Alma’s 300 residents for help.

Missing Appeal

The couple reported to the locals that Chloe was missing. The pair also posted to their personal Facebook accounts, “Chloe has been missing since yesterday,” they wrote. “It’s not like her not to come home at night. She’s old, choco lab mix.”

Weeks Pass By Without A Response

The word was out and locals and friends knew to keep an eye out for the missing hound. As the weeks passed, Osborne and Patel’s hopes began to lose faith. After a month of fruitless searching, the pair devastatingly resigned themselves to the fact that their pet was lost forever.

Uncertainty

The family was heartbroken to have lost the furry member of their family. The uncertainty of the dog’s fate was difficult to accept. Had the dog survived? Was she safe in someone else’s home or had she met a sinister end?

No Sign Of Her Anywhere

With no news of the missing dog, the family decided to say goodbye to Chloe, hoping to move on from the unfortunate incident. “I’d told our son the dog had died,” Osborne revealed to The Denver Post in September 2017. The grieving family held a heartfelt memorial for the dog.

How Would She Survive?

Osborne and Patel still wondered about what had become of the animal. Could the dog have miraculously survived months stranded on the 14,000-foot high mountain? She had no access to food and presumably little access to water. “I mean, how the hell could anyone survive that?” Osborne exclaimed.

All Hope Was Lost

The family had lost all hope, little did they know, the search for Chloe continued elsewhere. Trinity Smith and Sean Nichols had recently read reports of a mysterious howling noise coming from the mountains on the local mountaineering website, 14ers.com. They decided to head out and investigate.

Sending Out A Search Party

All of Alma’s residents were still committed to searching for the old dog. The small town of 300, had always supported one another. They refused to give up.

No Signs

Smith and Nichols were both mountaineering amateurs. Hiking can often be a dangerous endeavor, but the pair was determined. They decided to ascend into the mountains to see whether they could discover what had become of the missing dog.

Scaling The Mountain

Smith scaled the face of the mountain, relying on instinct to navigate the rocky cliffs and valleys. The sun began to set, Smith decided to turn back – who knew what revealed itself in the depths of the mountains after dark?

Finally Hearing The Barks

“That’s when I finally heard the first barks. I immediately hopped off the trail and went straight down into a gully and straight back up toward some cliffs toward the top. The dog had frantically started barking by then so I was yelling out and bawling my eyes out trying to pinpoint the exact location,” Smith said.

Just As They Were About To Give Up

Just at night descended upon the mountain, a cry pierced the silence of the night. Smith frantically tried to discern where the cry was coming from but failed. He vowed to return to the peaks with Nichols the following day. They would not let the defenseless animal perish in the mysterious mountains.

What Did They Notice In The Distance?

The following day arrived and the couple set out, more determined than ever. This time, their search was successful – they had located the poor animal. “Once I got there, I could see a little head pop up and hear her barking,” Nichols told Inside Edition in September 2017.

Following The Barking

Nichols followed the sound of the dog’s desperate barks, they eventually led him to a steep ledge. Sure enough, amidst the trees and jagged rocks, was Chloe. The animal was weak, terrified and emaciated, but the unlikely had happened – the dog had survived.

Sad To See Her In A State

Recalling the tender moment when they finally reached out to Chloe, Nichols said, “She came down into my chest and there was such an incline that we just slid [down the mountain].” The pair navigated the rocky peaks with caution, a fall from this height would be fatal. But the couple successfully returned to ground level, along with the grateful dog.

Why Smith Wanted To Help

“I was laying in bed scrolling through the pics and saw a post about a guy hearing a dog barking on his way back down Mt. Bross,” Smith told PEOPLE magazine, recalling how she and Chloe crossed paths. “Some of the comments on this post were hikers very concerned that there might be a dog in distress stuck up there, but the majority of comments were from people stating it was probably a coyote.” This didn’t scare off courageous Smith. “This peak is basically right in my backyard, so I figured after work I’d climb up there to see if I could confirm that it was a dog or coyote.”

 

A Sweet Reunion

Chloe was finally reunited with her relieved owners after miraculously surviving six harrowing weeks on the mountain. “We love our dog and we almost gave up, but she is back with us, and that is the best thing in the world,” Patel said later.

Weak And In Critical Condition

Following her desperate ordeal in the Rockies, Chloe’s health had dramatically deteriorated. Her frail figure now weighed a tiny 26 pounds. With the dedicated help of the local vet, the brave hound would go on to make a full recovery.

Emotional Rollercoaster

Recalling the instant when they were reunited with Chloe, Osborne shared, “It was a pretty emotional moment.” He told The Denver Post, “Even when she’s sitting next to me on the couch now, it’s still crazy to look at her, like, ‘How did you manage to do that?”

Celebration In Order

Osborne and Patel thought that it was only right to celebrate their joyous reunion with their pet. “We went to the saloon and drank all night,” Smith told Summit Daily. “Pretty much the whole town came and thanked us.”

How Could They Repay Him?

Their brave deed to rescue the canine cemented Smith and Nichols’ respected place in the local community. “Everyone was just in shock,” Smith said. “They were giving me hugs and crying on my shoulder. It was pretty awesome, and now I have a whole bunch of Alma friends.”

Happy Ending

In a miraculous story of resilience, the loved dog survived. “The owners are forever grateful. They ended up being our neighbors we had never met. So I get to check on Chloe whenever I want,” Smith said of the happy ending.