Every day carry. Doesn't matter if I'm overlanding or not.
http://talesofadventures.net/every-day-carry/
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Quite a few people carry a pistol with them when they travel, very few people train enough to be effective or even have a plan for what they are going to do when they encounter a situation in which they have it in their hand and everything has gone a little sideways. Some people have a mystical belief that their pistol round will stop a charging bear. This story is about some people, but on the other side of tactical end of every day carry.
My love of Big Bend National Park transcends through my online posts and is embedded firmly in the plot of my book series. In the park is Boquillas Canyon, which is one of the short scenic hikes, a favorite of canoe expeditions as well. The parking lot has signs warning of frequent vehicle burglaries and directly across the river in Mexico lies the tiny town of Boquillas, aptly named. Through out the lower river region of Big Bend National Park often people find little piles of touristy wares with a cardboard sign listing prices and a collection can, every single sign says "Please Help The Children of Boquillas." The census is vague as to the last year that an actual child was in Boquillas, but there are accounts of one accidentally meandering into town after a soda and candy binge in late 1974. Needless to say the Park Rangers have made it quite clear that it is illegal to purchase the items, but yet here the items lay.
With another family, this trip was without children, theirs away at camp and our only (at the time) at Grandma Camp and too young to enjoy the outdoors at the time, we set out up the trail over the small hill and into the edge of the canyon. As we walked down there were three men standing on our side of the river, a fourth sitting on a large rock across the river on the Mexico side, all four of which you couldn't see until you had fully descended the trail into the front of the canyon.. The man on the rock called out "you should buy some things from my friends."
Walking in the lead, my friend stopped and our wives stood between us. I called back "no we will not."
The man on the rock replied "you don't understand, you
will buy something!"
The other husband and I have many things in common, one reason why our friendship is measured in decades. Two of those things include photography and the desire to provide our own means of protection. My adapted camera bag at the time was a Maxpedition sling with lens cases hanging off of it for practical, tactical reasons.
The three Mexican nationals spread out and blocked the way we came, trapping us against the canyon and began approaching our group.
I peeled the front of the bag open which showed my Peace Officer's badge as my right hand grasp the hard grips of my 1911. My friend's left hand had pulled his shirt against his chest and he was drawing his small framed Glock, legally carried in the park with a Texas CHL.
The desire to forcibly relieve us of our money and valuables "for the children of Boquillas" quickly left the three men, as they too quickly turned and ran to the small canoe they used to cross the narrow river. I lifted my camera and took some photos of the man on the rock with the intention on showing the Ranger with our report. We finished our hike, which only took another twenty minutes as the trail is more of a short pathway than a "trail" of any normal means and our four new "friends" were no where to be seen.
Being near the Rio Grande Village, in the Big Bend sense of distance, we drove straight to the Ranger's station. Not only did the Ranger on duty not care, he wouldn't even come out of his office to take a report. He called through an open door "did they hurt anyone?"
They hadn't and that was where his willingness to care ended.
That trip was special for two reasons. Firstly it reaffirmed that no matter where you may be, people can be the biggest threat and secondly a few weeks later we found out we were pregnant with our daughter. This past fall we took our son and daughter to Big Bend for a week and their first visit and returned again a few months ago for another week. They have since fallen in love with camping, the outdoors, hiking and adventure, but like as all young children should feel, they aren't afraid because Daddy is with them.
