Really cool local dog, Sammy, is home and unscathed after falling down a deep crevasse out at Sheridan Glacier last week. In light of the incident, it seems important to publicly recognize one of the many dangers that prevail in our beautiful “backyard.”
When we got down from the parking lot, to where the trail begins its climb across the pond, we instead went left up the moraine towards the glacier. For a lot of people, it may seem obvious —don’t walk there. To me, it was less so. There were all the signs of people having been there recently. Many footprints, snow machine tracks, and people walking around. It wasn’t until we were just about on top of a substantial crevasse that it became noticeable to us. Snow is great at masking dangers. Sammy slid down the crevasse with a yip!
Friends and neighbors rescued Sammy — a giant show of gratitude towards all involved parties! Thankfully, they were able to get a couple of lassoes around him and pull him up to safety.
Among the rescuing party, a skilled climber and guide voiced his concerns. He told us that he never goes out to the area where we had been walking around. He expressed fear that somebody might lose a child that same way some day. It was a hugely important and humbling lesson for me.
Having left my own footprints in a dangerous place, I feel a civic duty to tell people: Don’t follow my tracks!
Jillian Gold
Cordova
