Viral Lost Hiker Helped by Dog in the Peruvian Mountains a Hoax? Video Translation Shows He Was Just Ahead of His Group

A hiker named El Güero has posted on Instagram addressing the viral video claiming that he was lost and helped by a dog during his trip in the Peruvian mountains. But the truth is, Güero was just ahead of his group when a dog approached and accompanied him.

Hiker Clarifies Viral Video of Dog 'Guiding' Him

The video was actually taken and posted three years ago, back in 2022. He captioned his original video with, 'Look who I met in the mountains of Peru!' in his local language.

In the video, he showed a dog that appeared out of nowhere but seemed friendly. 'What on earth are you doing up here? How did you get here?' he said on the video.

He then tells the dog to 'lead the way,' as he had lost the guide, and calls the dog his 'new guide.' The dog then seems to proceed to lead the way for him.

But years later, in 2024, Güero turned to Instagram to address the viral video, saying that he wasn't lost and the dog did not guide him.

He wrote, 'I WAS NOT ACTUALLY LOST. If you watch the video, I think it is clear I am saying it as a joke. Yes, I was on my own, quite far ahead of my group.'

'Yes, the visibility was bad and there was snow, so it wasn't totally obvious where the path was. But I had my GPS with me and could have also turned back from where I'd come to wait for my group, so I was NOT lost,' he continued.

On the same post, Güero confirmed that the dog walked with him and his group all the way to the camp.

'The dog walked with me and my group (who I waited for at the peak) all the way down to camp, and joined us for the next two days too, until we made it back to the village. Of course, we gave him food and cuddles!! We ended up having three dogs with us at the last camp,' he said.

He also said that the dog being up in the mountain surprised him, prompting him to take a video, and that the dog was with a local and probably just decided to join him on the trip, even letting him guide the path.

'A local with donkeys had recently passed me, so maybe the dog had been following him and then decided he wanted to join me. So I was incredibly surprised to see a dog, hence why I made the video in the first place. I then let him be my guide on the path — as you can see, he is walking in front, so clearly knew where he was going!'

Later on, the hiker was told that the dog lives in the nearby village and enjoys accompanying hikers.

He also clarified that he did not adopt the dog: 'Firstly, as far as I am aware, he already has a home, so I'm not going to steal a dog; secondly, I was on a six-month backpacking trip in South America,' and pointed out that the dog seemed to enjoy living in the mountains.

Why the Video Was Misinterpreted

Looking at the video, it was clearly taken out of context because, in the first place, viewers weren't given any background. The video did seem like Güero was being guided by the dog, and he even says, 'My new guide, lost my guide. This is my new guide.'

He also asked the dog to 'lead the way' and said, 'If we get lost, I'm blaming you,' while following the dog, even saying, 'You're in charge now.'

Anyone who just stumbled upon the video would assume that the hiker was indeed lost and that the dog guided him to the camp. However, Güero did not appear to be worried, as someone genuinely lost in the mountains would be.

While the viral video gave the impression of a dramatic rescue by a mountain dog, which is why it quickly went viral, the truth is far more light-hearted. The dog was simply a friendly companion along the trail.

The story serves as a reminder of how easily social media clips can be misinterpreted when context is missing. It also highlights the joy and unpredictability of hiking adventures, especially when friendly four-legged companions are involved.