An aspiring Triple Crown hiker has issued a plea for help after losing her dog on the Appalachian Trail five weeks ago.
According to reporting by WLOS Asheville, Canadian hiker Micki Honkanen and her dog Sadie came to the US to hike the Continental Divide Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail for an adventure totaling nearly 8,000 miles in hiking boots.
However, with just 250 miles of the AT left to go on their journey, Sadie, who you can see a picture of below, disappeared. The 13-year-old black lab mix vanished on March 18 when the pair were on the North Carolina stretch of the AT, between Walnut Mountain Shelter and Lemon Gap.
"I started running up and down the trail, calling her name," recalls Honkanen, who goes by the trail name "Bright Eyes."
"I called my friend, and the two of us together spent 40-plus hours just incrementally grid searching the woods of the entire mountain. We hired a thermal drone to search that mountain, as well."
Micki Honkanen needs your help finding her dog and best friend, Sadie, who went missing along the Appalachian Trail. https://t.co/7OFRZgzXpdApril 13, 2024
The drone was unable to turn up any clues as to Sadie's whereabouts and time is running out – Honkanen reportedly has to leave the country by the end of June due to visa restrictions.
"The thought of like leaving the country and just leaving her in the woods is just, I can't wrap my head around it right now."
Sadie is described as 45-pound lab mix with white patches and gray on her face. She was last seen wearing what was described as a green dog backpack. She has an ID on her collar and she is chipped and wearing an air tag. Honkanen is offering a cash reward to anyone who finds Sadie.
