On Friday, after six days of being missing in sub freezing weather in the Gila National Forest, 67-year-old El Pasoan, Robert Sumrall was found barely conscious, but alive, thanks to the help of Zulu, his lab mix dog and hiking buddy. When found, Zulu was lying on top of Sumrall's body. I'm sure that without the extra body heat from the dog Sumrall would now be dead.
Zulu, who ran off when rescuers approached Sumrall, is still missing and is now the new focus of search and rescue teams. Hopefully she will be found alive and well soon.
All of this brings to mind that old rule about the buddy system. I often hike solo with just my dogs for company, but I never hike solo without my dogs. Do the dogs qualify under the buddy system rule, I wonder, or should I be rounding up human friends to come along on my jaunts? Probably a little of both. Recent lost hiker stories have gotten me thinking about how safe I am in the woods. My self-assessment has turned up some risky behavior.
I often hike with just the dogs for company. I also often go for hikes without letting anyone know where I'm headed or that I'm headed out at all. Maybe it's time for a change.
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1 comment:
I'm glad the man was rescued and hope Zulu is found safely as well.
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