Kindness is all around us –and for some reason, in the most unexpected situations, a dog is mostly, always, involved.
And in an unexpectedly difficult moment, a British hiker’s story is proving, yet again, that dogs truly offer kindness and hope, no matter the situation.
A British hiker who was on his own 15,000ft up in the snowy Peruvian Mountains met a friendly dog who ‘appeared from the fog’ and safely guided him to his destination.
The Daily Mail reveals that the man was hiking the Santa Cruz circuit, near the city of Huaraz in Peru, when he got separated from the group of hikers he was with on the second day of the trek.
He wanted to reach the Punta Unión pass at 15,000ft above sea level, but the route was covered in snow, ice and a thick layer of fog.
On October 15, the man, known as ‘El Güero Inglés‘ on social media, shared his wonderful experience from way back October of 2022.
In the video, the man wrote, “I was on a hike in the Peruvian Mountains when suddenly… a dog appeared at 15,000ft altitude!”
He explained that when the dog appeared, he happened to be lost and all alone. “I happened to be on my own at this point, so I trusted his mountain knowledge.”
“He led me along the path, but I was too slow for him,” the man jokingly said, adding that when he finally caught up to the dog, the pooch was quietly admiring the view.
Upon reaching their destination, the man, along with the dog, patiently waited for the group of hikes to arrive.
And when the hikers arrived at camp, the dog continued to follow the man and remained close to them as the group continued the trek.
Furthermore, upon arriving on camp, the man joked that he has forgiven the dog for “ditching” him at the top of the mountain saying, “we’re just happy to have made it.”
According to Italian newspaper La Stampa, the man was wondering what a dog could be doing so high up in the mountains, and in such conditions.
The man was pleasantly surprised how the friendly dog knew the ins and outs of the mountain, eventually leading him to a sign pointing towards the Punta Unión pass.
Furthermore, the man revealed that two additional dogs joined them in their hike, that lasted 13 and a half more miles.
The man later explained, “I was told by my guide that the dog lives in the village where we finished and enjoys joining hikers – maybe because he knows he’ll get free food, maybe because he likes hiking.”
Furthermore, the man cleared up the following misunderstandings: he was not lost, they took care of the dogs while they were with them during the hike, he will not adopt the dog as it has an owner.
* This article was originally published here