A skier had a once-in-a-lifetime experience when he was followed by a stray dog on what he thought would be a seven-hour solo trip over tough mountainous terrain. Colter Hinchliffe, from Aspen, Colorado, captured epic journey over the Caucus Mountains in Georgia, where a dog he nicknamed ‘Buddy’ suddenly started following him as he set off for the day. As Colter left his car in the town of Ushguli, Buddy was soon at his tail – but knowing how tough the journey was set to be, he initially tried to deter the dog by shooing him and throwing snow. But Colter's efforts were to no avail, as they only encouraged Buddy to keep up his chase but from a greater distance. Eventually, Colter gave in, welcoming Buddy on his trip after making his way to a ridge around 3500 feet above town. Over the hours that followed, Colter spoke to Buddy; offered encouragement when he needed to make jumps; and, at one point, hoped the pooch had made his way back to town after Colter had skied down a long run, only to hear the dog barking, letting Colter know he was still on his way. Having reached the end of his journey with Buddy, an exhausted Colter – who had seen his trip take longer than planned by helping the dog – gave Buddy a goodbye hug and the last of his food. *MANDATORY VIDEO CREDIT: @colterjh / T&T Creative Media**