The In an Instant episode “Frozen on the Mountain,” tells the story of Army veteran Kenny Pastén who went hiking with his dog Rex and friend Tiffany Finney in California’s San Bernardino National Forest in December 2015. Their intent was to scale the 11,500-foot summit of San Gorgonio Mountain and place an American flag at the peak “to honor America.” The weather was nice that day when they started out but it unexpectedly and quickly turned into whiteout blizzard conditions. In order to survive, they dug a hole under a bush to keep warm and covered themselves with the flag. With Finney “in and out of consciousness,” Pastén dared to climb to the the top of the mountain with the hope of getting enough reception to call 911. Rex the dog stayed with Finney to keep her warm. Although Finney lost a pinky due to frostbite, all three survived.
The life-threatening experience hasn’t stopped Pastén from hiking. The professional dog trainer/walker offers a monthly dog hiking club subscription for $590. The subscription includes three day-long hikes a week (“from 10ish to 5ish”) for (at most) four dogs. Each dog carries a water pack during the hike which take place throughout Los Angeles and Orange County. Pastén takes and shares photos and videos too via his Instagram account @KennyBryanPasten. Note: Dog owners can also pay $50/per hike. In an Instant airs Saturdays at 8pm on ABC.
