I am an avid hiker. I hike at least once a week in my little corner of Nayarit, Mexico - which is actually quite large in a hiking context. But this article is not about hiking in Nayarit (or even Jalisco!) per se - the talented Julie of Julie and Lurko in Mexico and I will be collaborating in the near future on the subject of hiking (Julie and Lurko being both neighbors, and hikers as well). Instead, this article touches (lightly, and with paws) on one of my favorite things about the people of Mexico (el pueblo mexicano): their can do attitude. But rather than talk about various examples and theories about how people in Mexico just manage to work through obstacles and limited resources and get things done that would probably never get done in the U.S. or Canada (no, we’d just give up and/or throw the thing away), I will instead focus on one simple but heartwarming (ick) example that just occurred about a week ago.
I am a member of various hiking groups in and around the area where I live. One of these groups has many members - both extranjeros (foreigners, i.e. people like me) and locals (i.e. Mexican people). A recent hike was organized by one of the extranjeros (a very nice guy, who has lived here for about 20 years). I informed him that I’d be joining the hike, and that I would be bringing a friend who would, in turn, be bringing two dogs.
It is not uncommon to bring dogs on hikes, but I would say that it is at least a little uncommon for extranjeros (especially gringos) to bring dogs. With my Mexican friends, there is almost always at least one dog on the hike. In any event, my friend with the two dogs is from the U.S. so, yes, a gringa uncommonly bringing dogs.
But the hike organizer reached out to me and warned me against bringing dogs on this particular hike, as there would be some rock scrambling that might prove too much for animals lacking opposable thumbs. He also posted on the hike WhatsApp group (Mexico runs on WhatsApp) stating that bringing dogs would be a bad idea. This turned into a small flurry of exchanges between my friend, the organizers, and myself about whether or not these dogs should attend this fun outdoor activity.
But one of my Mexican friends (Sonja) reached out to me privately (she owns two dogs, and always brings them with her on hikes) and laid down the law (politely), as it is written in Mexico. Paraphrasing and translating her messages:
Friend, with our Mexican groups they always bring dogs, so you guys bring the 2 you mentioned, they'll be happy. I know some places are a little complicated, but I tell you, for them they can do it 😅 if not, we'll help them.
I told her I would relay her message to my friend. To which Sonja replied:
That’s good 🤍 yes, she should feel safe that she can take them; if there are places that they can't handle, they simply stay in another area, but they have always been able to remain with the group and we make them very happy that they walk freely in nature 🤍
In the end, everyone who wanted to bring a dog brought a dog. But the beauty in this anecdote is in the attitude of my friend Sonja: we are Mexicans, we’ll make it work. And by the way, we don’t leave our dogs at home - we don’t deny them the natural world of which they are an inherent part.
“They can do it, if not, we’ll help them”. Why wasn’t this the immediate reaction of the extranjero organizers? Are people from the U.S. and Canada just overcautious to the point of being exclusionary? Yeah, probably. Everything has to have guard rails up north, and we can’t, I guess, be bothered to help our dogs. But the dogs did great - they mostly did fine on their own four feet and when they didn’t, hey, guess what? We helped them.
Thanks Mike! I love having dogs around, and all the other animals that are typically encountered on hikes! Last weekend I hiked and there was probably about 75 cows and a lot of goats traveling along the same path with some people on horses corralling them. The cows looked happy having their breaks standing in the river. It feels like, at least for that short while, we are all living in harmony, not concerned about who believes what, just walking and enjoying the beautiful natural earth we are so lucky to call our home.
I take my dogs hiking all the time. Up hill, down hill, over hill (wait, that's me) and into the brush. Sometimes I help them, and sometimes they help me. Well, the big ones anyway. No joke. Going down a slippery steep ravine, they have four paw drive, and I'll put my hand on their back to keep my balance. I really dislike tumbling.
Thanks for the good dog vibe, Mike!