Alison and Blue on a snow excursion. Photo courtesy of Alison Dempsey-Hall.
NOT ANOTHER DAY AT THE DOG PARK Surviving a cougar attack at Cooper Lake By Alison Dempsey-Hall, 13-year member
We’ve all experienced a moment of true fear. Your fingers grow cold and your stomach drops. Time slows while your mind and body prime to react, and all you can think is, “This is actually happening.” As Mountaineers, we’ve been there. You can expect the unexpected in the outdoors: a loose boulder tumbling down a narrow gully being traversed, or foreboding clouds rumbling closer as you quickly finish summit snacks and reverse course down the mountain. Almost always, instinct and training move us to safety. Then there are those rare occurrences many of us have only heard stories about. You never expect it to happen to you, and when it does, all you can do is accept it as your reality. And hope to escape unscathed.
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mountaineer | spring 2021
A walk in the woods This past November during a family vacation to Roslyn, Washington, my sister Melissa and I decided to take a midafternoon hike to Cooper Lake with my 65-pound Labrador, Blue. Nestled in the heart of the Cascades, old growth forest and snow-capped mountains ring the pristine 120-acre lake. It was the perfect opportunity to stretch our legs and give the dog some exercise. The path to the lake is well-traveled, and after passing a few other couples with dogs we were wrapping up the last mile to the lake. Taking in the scenery with Blue trotting in front onleash, we were looking forward to the deep blue waters ahead.
