Memorial rodeo planned for Columbia Falls man who died tending to horses during blizzard


Columbia Falls resident Cody Sorenson rides his horse Outlaw. Sorenson died Jan. 14 at age 24. (Photo provided)

By CHRIS PETERSON
Hungry Horse News | January 28, 2024 12:00 AM

Cody Sorenson and Dakota Pearle went into the Bob Marshall Wilderness on a September elk hunt. The trip went south almost immediately. They got a late start and it was pouring rain. Still, they packed up Sorenson’s blind Spotted Leopard Appaloosa horse Outlaw and headed to Basin in the heart of the Bob Marshall.

Outlaw, which had been Sorenson’s first horse, had lost its eyesight on a trip years before. The horse had wandered away and become lost in the Bob as horses have been known to do. It ended up stuck in a bog and was found by some hikers. As it thrashed around in the brush, both eyes were damaged.

But the horse was Sorenson’s best friend and he vowed never to abandon it or put it down. Outlaw proved its mettle on that September hunt. It hauled in the gear with barely a missed step and the next day, when the rain had subsided, Sorenson and Pearle built a big fire to dry the horse off.

You don’t saddle up a wet horse — it’s a recipe for sores. The horse, being blind, stood close to the 6-foot high flames and relished the heat after the soaking rain, Pearle recalled. ... “Outlaw was steaming,” Pearle said. “It was the coolest thing I’d ever seen in my life.” ... With the horse dried, they saddled it up and continued their journey. The hunt was unsuccessful, but it was memorable nonetheless, Pearle said.

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