LOST CARGO

When what’s inside matters most

- LACY KEMP

In June of 2013, Frankie Choltco-Devlin and a buddy were on a weekend-warrior road trip through the Sea to Sky corridor. They’d brought their bikes, climbing gear, camping gear, general dirtbag gear and they also brought Frankie’s beloved 3-year-old chocolate Lab, Wyatt. To Frankie’s friends, Wyatt is the quintessential good boy. He loves to play fetch. He loves to swim for hours and hours. He loves to go on mountain bike rides. At the height of his athletic career, he’d go on day-long meandering rides with Frankie and friends. He’s likely bagged more peaks than most mountaineers. Wyatt is, by all means, a lovable badass.

On this particular weekend, the two were in the middle of a multi-sporting adventure. They’d spent Saturday riding Squamish’s Diamondhead trails and planned to climb the technical Snake route up the south Apron of the face of Stawamus Chief, an iconic granitic dome 2,297 feet above Howe Sound. The weather was typical June fare: a warm-but-pleasant overcast. The days were long. The Pacific Northwest’s natural gift of extra daylight in the summer meant the duo had more time to cram in more activities on a given day.

While Wyatt was a boss on the trails, granite wasn’t for him, so Frankie left Wyatt in the truck in the Apron parking lot against the big wall in the shade. He was out of view from the climb but also protected from whatever sun could later filter through the clouds. The guys set off on their climb. While it was mostly uneventful, Frankie kept hearing the dog park in the car next to theirs. “It was yippy. The noise carries right up the wall and I heard it the entire time. Then, at one point I heard a really big, deep bark. It didn’t register that it might be Wyatt since he doesn’t really ever bark,” he said.