Family's Uinta hike turns into battle with mountain goat during hailstorm

KAMAS — A family hiking in Utah's Uinta Mountains has a story they'll likely be telling for years after a routine summer hike turned into a frightening encounter with a protective mountain goat during a sudden storm.

"OK, we just had an incident. We came across a goat and her babies," Heather Cates said in a video recorded shortly after the ordeal.

Heather Cates, her husband Justin, their sons Damien and Daschle, and their two bernedoodles, Churro and Luna, were making their way back from a hike when the weather quickly changed.

"All hell broke loose," Heather Cates recalled.

The family says hail and lightning moved into the area fast, startling their dogs. In the chaos, the group inadvertently found themselves between a nanny mountain goat and her kid, triggering a tense struggle in the backcountry.

"First the 12-year-old chased and got our other big dog and he was holding on and being dragged," Heather Cates said.

As the younger son worked to control one dog, the family's other bernedoodle found itself in a direct confrontation with the goat.

"The dogs and goat were fighting," said Damien. "The dog definitely wasn't going to win that fight."

The odds were daunting. The family's 60-pound bernedoodle was up against a mountain goat estimated to weigh around 200 pounds.

Seeing the dog in trouble, 15-year-old Damien rushed in to help.

"I run over to the goat and then it stabs me with its horns in the back of my leg," Damien said.

Despite being injured, Damien managed to grab the goat by the horns, preventing it from continuing its attack.

"The 15-year-old wrestling with a mountain goat was the wildest thing I've ever seen. It was the bravest thing I've ever seen," Heather Cates said.

Meanwhile, Justin Cates was trying to pull Luna to safety.

"I fell back into the water, the dog went fully under. It went up to my neck and then I spun around and Damien had the goat by the horns, and honestly, I was speechless," Justin Cates recalled.

Eventually, the goat calmed down. Damien released his grip, and the animal ran off with its kid. The family then focused on treating injuries and making their way to safety.

Thankfully, everyone is expected to recover, including the injured dog.

"Once we knew everyone was going to be okay, we really were having a good laugh together and making the most of a terrible situation," Heather Cates said.

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