EL PERRO
BY SOPHIA

One of the dogs we met in Magdalena Bay was the bravest most loyal dog I've ever met. I have never went on a big hike with a dog before so this was a first. We don't know his name, but we do know he's a boy.*

I'm glad I chose to wear tennis shoes instead of reef shoes for going ashore. We all packed water bottles and set off to the beach in our 14' dinghy. Compared to our old dinghy it's huge, but compared to the pangas we've been seeing, it's tiny. We pulled up to the beach and Mom hopped out, dragging us up a little ways. When we dropped the dinghy anchor on the sand, we walked up to a little cafe that turned out to be closed. Lying in the shade of the outdoor eating area was a cute, medium sized dog with brown fur that was darker by his head and lighter by the tail and back legs. He followed us the whole time walking around town (and by the town I mean a row of houses and the occasional shop). We stopped by a small store consisting of eggs, tortillas, tomatoes, chilies, onions, and candy. We bought three packages of tortillas and a half dozen eggs. The dog patiently waited outside in the shade for us.

We visited a church with some cute decorations in it and cautiously avoided about 15 barking dogs, more at us than the dog. Then we started up the hill. The first part of the hill had some kind of weed/grass thing all over it. The dog liked to hang out at the front or the back of the group. Then there was a flat, rocky part which I ran across with him, and after that came a steep part around 45 degrees. Here, he never let anybody fall behind. This was the hardest part of the hike. There were still a few loose rocks, so I tested where I stepped by putting one of my feet down and wiggling the rock, before putting my full weight on it.

When we got to the top, we were surprised to see the other side of Mag Bay. Apparently it's 15 miles across! From the water, you can't see the other side, so we weren't sure if it was the height or if it had been a little foggy. When we got back to the boat I saw a little of it, so we decided on both. Dad squirted some water into his hand and let the dog drink it. We figured he deserved it. The walk back down was way easier, though I had to occasionally jump over a spider web with a big spider in it.

I'm going to miss the dog, but it's comforting to know he's not stray, and is healthy. Cavan didn't even think he'd start up the hill with us. I would have been surprised if he hadn't.

*Please leave a comment if you have an idea of what to call him, because it's getting annoying to call him "the dog".