Dog Survives 50 Hours Alone After Chugach Avalanche Injures Two Hikers

A dog named LouLou spent more than 50 hours alone in the Alaska backcountry after an avalanche swept away the two hikers she was with, and volunteer searchers found her alive on a snowy ridge near Pepper Peak north of Eklutna Lake.

The slide hit on Saturday, October 10, in Chugach State Park, carrying the two experienced mountaineers roughly 500 feet down a ridge, according to UPI and ABC15. Both men survived but suffered serious injuries, including broken bones, and were taken to a hospital. LouLou, a 4-year-old poodle-husky mix, was left behind in the snow.

For readers who hike, ski or run dogs in the Chugach, the story is a reminder of how fast conditions can turn even on a clear October weekend, and how far a rescue can stretch when a pet or a person goes missing in rugged terrain outside Anchorage. Eklutna Lake sits inside the Municipality of Anchorage's trail system, a popular put-in for day hikes and a place thousands of residents visit every fall.

Lauren Padawer, the girlfriend of one of the injured hikers, was overseas for her father's 80th birthday when she learned about the avalanche, according to AOL's report citing People magazine. After confirming both men had survived, she turned her attention to the dog. She posted in local hiking and pet-rescue groups asking for help, not knowing whether LouLou had survived the slide.

More than 20 volunteers answered the call, ABC15 and UPI reported, including ground searchers, a scent dog, drone operators and helicopter pilots. LouLou was wearing an Apple AirTag, which gave searchers a rough location, but the device's estimate was off by close to half a mile in the mountainous terrain, complicating the search.

Roughly 50 hours after the avalanche, volunteer helicopter pilots Amanda Barker and Dave Beckett spotted LouLou standing in the snow on the mountainside. Rescue video credited to Barker captured the moment she called the dog's name and LouLou responded. The helicopter landed and rescuers approached her on foot before flying her out.

A veterinary exam afterward found LouLou had lost a canine tooth and broken a toe, but was otherwise healthy despite more than two days alone in freezing conditions, according to UPI.

What is not yet confirmed publicly is the identities of the two injured climbers, the specific nature of their injuries beyond serious and broken bones, and whether any official search-and-rescue agency, such as the Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Mountain Rescue Group or Chugach State Park rangers, formally coordinated or assisted the search described by Padawer's volunteer network. UPI, ABC15 and AOL did not name an agency of record, describing it instead as a volunteer effort organized through Padawer's outreach.

LouLou is now home. The Daily Alaska could not confirm by deadline whether the injured hikers have been released from the hospital or identified publicly, and has not independently verified official agency involvement in the search.