Climbing Rangers Nick Meyers and Eric Falconer of the Mount Shasta Avalanche Center were on patrol at the Old Ski Bowl on Dec. 24, 2024, when they spotted the freezing flyer in the snow, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
A cold and lonely spot for a goose.
While Mt. Shasta rescue teams have encounters with plenty of troubled climbers they could tell right away this was no alpine goose. It was especially poorly equipped, the Shasta-Trinity National Forest teased.
It "had on only one layer of down and was neither prepared for the temperature nor overnight camping."
"It was pretty battered. It couldn't fly, but we still had trouble catching it," said Meyers, "so I kind of dove on it."
The bird calmed down as Meyers held it, and stayed calm while he drove it down the mountain to the road by snowmobile.
The two men let the animal go in a pond further down the mountain. When he checked on the bird on Christmas Day, it was doing fine, Meyers said
