When I tell people I live in Southern New Mexico, most conjure up visions of desert landscapes and warm weather. They are partially correct, but up here at six thousand feet and higher, winter is only one storm away.
I just returned from a camping trip with some friends from Texas. Some of you may be wondering why anyone would go camping in December. We usually have pretty decent weather. It gets down in the teens at night in the high country, but it can get up to fifty or so during the day. Not so last week.
Our first night out in the wilderness was downright cold. It hit 8 below zero in my tent and everything we had was frozen solid the next morning, even the beer in the cooler. We survived because we were prepared for the cold. Another man was not so lucky, or maybe he was lucky.
The last weekend of November we had another winter storm and a fellow from El Paso decided to go for a hike in the Black Range with his Labrador Retriever named Zulu. He went in on a trail off Emory pass at eight thousand feet on Saturday before the storm hit and when he hadn't returned by Sunday, search and rescue was out in the foot deep snow looking for the hiker and Zulu. It was reported that the man was wearing jeans, tennis shoes and a windbreaker.
The search party went both North and South out of Emory Pass and found nothing, not even tracks. The wind had blown snow over any tracks Zulu and his master may have left.
My friend Phil and I have hiked almost all sections of the Black Range and we were following this story very closely. When I left for my trip on Thursday, they still had not found any trace of the hiker or his canine companion, Zulu. Phil and I were convinced that there was very little chance either of them had survived. We've been at the lookout cabin on Hillsboro Peak in blizzard conditions before.
When I got home last night, Phil was on the phone with the news that the hiker had been found and he had survived. He was found curled in a fetal position under a tree, semi conscious, severely dehydrated and barely clinging to life. The main reason he was still alive was that Zulu, the Lab, was lying directly on top of him, keeping him from freezing. And this is where the story gets bittersweet.
While the hiker is lying in an El Paso intensive care unit on life support, Zulu is still out there and another storm has hit the high country this morning. According to the two men that found the hiker Zulu ran off in the confusion as they rescued the semi-conscious hiker. And now another rescue is underway, this time for Zulu. (pic is of a Lab, not Zulu, but shows how Zulu could be such a help to his owner)
You can read the report about the efforts of the Animal Rescue League of El Paso here in this story in our local newspaper. They are hopeful that they can find Zulu. I certainly hope so and I'll update this post when I know more.
I did a post on winter care tips over on the PurinaCare blog just last week. One tip was about winter outdoor activities with your dog and basically stated that if it's too cold for you it's too cold for your dog, so be prepared. Outdoor common sense 101 is to know the weather conditions before you go.
We knew it was going to be frigid last Thursday night and we were ready for it. This hiker should have known the conditions and he should have told someone exactly where he planned to hike. I hope he makes a full recovery and it seems he will, however he put himself in danger and Zulu is still in danger due to his lack of preparation. She saved his life. I hope the Animal Rescue League folks can do the same for Zulu.
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