Lost Mexican

Yesterday's high winds turned into a wet storm this morning, turning to snow flurries in the afternoon. What perfect weather to play in the snow in Ash Canyon! So I packed up the dogs and off we went. It was around 4:30pm. I needed to get the dogs out since we didn't walk yesterday. They were ready!

The dogs were beside themselves with excitement and pushed each other out of the way as everyone wanted to be the first out of the van and on the trail. As usual, they all ran ahead of me; they know the trail we usually take and couldn't wait for me. I normally walk the dogs in the dry creek bed, away from vehicular traffic. My low-clearance van can't do the ruts in the road well, so I park the van on the main road and walk from there.

I stayed at the van, trying to get my GPS app working when I saw a lone man coming down Ash Canyon Road. He looked cold. He came toward me. "I am lost!" he said. "Can you drive me [into town]?" he pleaded.
"Are you from Mexico?"
"Yes"
"Want me to call La Migra so that they can help you?," I asked, as he looked cold. And wet. His jacket was not rain resistant. He wasn't even carrying a backpack, which was surely abandoned higher up the trail.

At this point the dogs, who turned around when they realized I was being held up in conversation, and came running up to the man full speed. Oh shit. The man did not realize I had four dogs with me when he approached me because the dogs were down the trail, hidden by a downward slope and a curve in the road. They didn't come into view until he had gotten close to me and the dogs didn't like that. He immediately got scared.

"Don't bite, don't bite!" he screamed, flaying his arms up and getting the dogs more excited than they already were. They did not attack the man, nor made physical contact with him, but they did circle tightly around the man and let their displeasure of his presence too close to me be known. This is what a pack of dogs does when enveloping their prey, allowing for no safe regress. I was getting annoyed that they wouldn't stop barking. (Not really, I was quite proud how protective they showed themselves to be, especially Sadie). But I also didn't want this cold and lost man to feel fear. He was in a bad-enough predicament now with the weather turning bad and daylight soon ending. My dogs would know when to attack by the command I give them, and I did not give them that command.

"Can you drive me?" he pleaded again.
"I can't, but I can call Border Patrol and get you to a safe place."
"No, no, please give me chance!" he replied. He realized I couldn't help so he walked on, toward SR92 on Ash Canyon Road a half-mile away. He stopped a few other cars going up the canyon, but no one let him in. He would stop and turn around and look at me, but continued walking east. The snow flurries were now getting colder and wetter. It was not a good time to be lost and cold. He stayed on the road, not once ducking into a driveway or seeking cover by the underbrush.

Instead of playing in the snow with the dogs higher up the canyon, I now decided to follow this man as he continued walking east on Ash Canyon Road. I called USBP and the agent who answered my call sounded suspiciously like our Agent Daniel from the hiking meetup (he works at the Naco Station). "I'm on my way!" said Agent Daniel, as he asked me to describe the man.
"Dark blue hoodie and dark brown pants, facial hair, short, 40-ish." Most people coming across illegally wear dark clothes to better blend in at night with the natural vegetation.
"Sounds like the man who got away from me last night!" commented Agent Daniel.

I followed the lost man, always keeping a safe distance, until I saw the USBP van turn into Ash Canyon and stop in front of the man. The man did not run. He was cold and lost and had given up. He stayed in front of the van and let the agent approach him.
I turned around then to let the agent process this man in peace. It must be a defeating feeling to give up a dream of coming to this country like this, after surely paying coyotes his life savings to come here. He had crossed these mountains in the worst weather of the season and as wet as he was, he would not have survived the night.

I continued the walk with the dogs up the canyon for another mile. It was 5:15pm when I decided it was getting too dark (and who knows how many more cold and lost people were in these snowy mountains?). We walked a mere 1.67 miles. The USBP van had just then turned back on SR92, on its way back to the Naco Station 26 miles away.

While I never once felt scared of this man, I am extremely proud of how well the dogs protected me. Even Old Sammy did his share of incessant barking. All dogs got extra treats tonight. And while I felt sad for ruining this man's dream, I know in this shitty weather that I did the right thing. Tonight's low in the valley will be 25F. It will be much colder at 8000'.

Turns out a larger group of illegals was getting tracked by military police on Fort Huachuca earlier today, where Ellen was mountain biking with friends. Perhaps that is the group the man got separated from. We are going to have another freezing night before warmer temperatures return tomorrow. I hope everyone is off these snowy mountains and safe and warm.