Unexpected Cave Rescue in Bellingham (Sudden Valley)

May 9

As members of Bellingham Mountain Rescue Council (BMRC), we sometimes get calls that catch me off guard — this was one of them. On May 3rd, a dog (named Dolly Parton) had fallen into a cave near the Lookout Mountain trails. Dolly’s owner had fallen in the cave while trying to rescue. Fortunately, the cave was right by my neighborhood in Sudden Valley, so it was a quick response. I’ve spent plenty of time around Lookout and have never seen a cave, so I was skeptical.

Another BMRC member, Patrick (also from Sudden Valley), and I were sent in as the hasty team to assess the situation. We packed light—some rope, headlamps, and basic gear—expecting a simple rescue.

We met a sheriff’s deputy at the trailhead, hiked 15 minutes up the Leila June trail and then followed the subject’s wife down a short bushwhack to the cave. To our surprise, it was a narrow 5'x5' hole that quickly turned vertical. We could hear the man and his dog, about 30 feet down.

Patrick rappelled after we secured the rope off one of the many trees around the cave. More rescuers and gear from BMRC and Summit to Sound (STS) soon arrived, and we set up a 3:1 haul system. After safely harnessing the man, we debated how to rescue his dog, Dolly Parton. In the end, she took a ride in Patrick’s backpack. Despite a few iterations and complications with rope drag, we got everyone out safely—muddy, but unharmed…. A successful, fun and rewarding mission, thanks to the members of BMRC, STS and Whatcom County Sheriffs Department.