This is an incredible story, worthy of a new chapter, will soon be posted on our website. The wild mustang has incredible conformation and disposition. The buckskin stud has all of the signs of being a Spanish Mustang. He has the typical well-rounded crop and markings. We decided to breed the mares because of his incredible qualities. The foals, if the breedings take, will be born next August and will be up for sale after they are well trained and weaned January 2005. We plan the birth of the foals in Arkansas or a surrounding state that has enough backcountry for us to produce another Horseback America Trail Baby!
November,
2004:
Karin and
I were off to New Mexico through the hite Mountains of Arizona
when the weather turned bad. Our computer crashed and died
and we bought a used one that was supposed to be full of everything.
It wasn't and we were stuck with, basically junk. Karin stopped
to upgrade the computer while I rode off alone through the
mountains.
Record snows
blanketed the trails and roads making the ride extremely difficult.
This area is not like California where you can ride to lower
elevations to escape the snow. At one point, I was get very
worried because of the remote areas and lack of feed. The horses
were able to dig through the snow for feed and luckily the
grass had lots of protein.
At one camp,
I thought I was hearing things. It sounded like a pack of wolves!
Later I found out that the area has introduced, Mexican Grey
Wolves. Winter camping was tough as the tent was buried in
snow and ice and packing up was difficult in thick gloves.
Ropes were frozen and snaps and buckles had to be thawed out
before use.
Finally,
I made it to civilization at Apache Creek, New Mexico. It was
not much of a town but had one friendly country store. I made
it to Aragon int time for Sunday Mass at one of the most beautiful
chapels I ever seen. The Priest was very nice and he blessed
the Expedition. I spent Thanksgiving alone in frozen tundra.
I was listening to the radio about football and turkey dinner,
so the first thing I bought was a turkey TV dinner that I cooked
on a grill.
December,
2004:
The snow
and cold continued as I worked my way to the Plains of San
Augustin. I notice a rub staring on Number Three's withers
so I adjusted his pads. There was no hair loss but it was working
on it. I rode a day and the rub was starting to swell so I
decided to walk half the miles. We covered about fifteen miles
and I took a lay over at the Very Large Array. This is the
worlds largest Radio Telescope in the world.
The Telescope
is actually several satellite looking dishes where several
movies were made, including Contact, with Jodie Foster. All
the dishes would move together. They were spread out over the
plains about one mile apart on railroad tracks. This was one
of the most amazing places I have ever been. I stopped for
10 days to heal up Number Threes withers.
January,
2005:
I left the
Very Large Array to ride towards the Rio Grande River walking.
After 13 miles, I made camp and just the weight of the saddle
made Number Three's withers swell so I stopped for another
ten days. It was a beautiful over the extremely lonesome plains.
I kept singing a song to myself, Burry me not, on the lone
prairie! I was doing water in buckets and taking cold showers
with temperature below freezing.
Storms were
rolling in every 3 to 4 days. This was a very lonely place.
It was cowboy country and the cattlemen would wave but everybody
sticks to their self. I talked to probably 5 people in two
months. Things got lonelier as Christmas approached. I was
listening to a lot of world band on the shortwave receiver
and 40 meter single sideband.
I decided
to walk out for New Years and made it to historical Magdalena.
This was a very friendly town. I went to a cafe and met a lot
of the local cowboys and picked up work. Number Three is not
going to work out on the trip. His withers are totally OK now
but he is not developed for a long ride. So I amgoing to pick
up work and find a new horse. The weather is still very bad
anyhow making things very difficult on the trail.
Winter weather
had taken its toll on the Expedition. Number Three, our latest
new horse, cannot physically handle long miles necessary to
travel in this climate and terrain. Though I stop often to
rest, Number Three's withers were swelling up. He has done
well up to this point and I found a great home for him. I will
of course, loose about $1300.00 on this horse.
I went back
to the Sedona area in Arizona to manage a ranch. It is a lot
of work. There are 36 horses; five are stallions. I will be
working for a spell to get my computer operating and get a
new horse. When I accomplish this goal. I will get trailered
back to the Continental Divide of New Mexico. Winters are harsh
and it is nice to get out of the snow and stay in a real house.
Taking these breaks keeps us from getting burned out on traveling.
February
17,
2005
I'm settled
in to take some time off from riding to replace the horse I
recently sold. Taking time off is how we support the trip and
get a break from the rigors of the trail. This is a great way
to become part of a community and to meet the people; some
interesting ones at that! The horses also get a break so that
when we do return to riding, we are all fresh to apreaciate
life on the
road to its fullest.
I am working
on an Appaloosa breeding ranch now with over 30 mares and 5
stallions. It is close to the Montezuma Well. This is a huge
hole in the ground that collapsed above an underground river.
The water from the ground is a warm spring. Montezuma Well
is next to Beaver Creek that is now a river because of heavy
rain. The large opening is also lined with cliff dwellings
from the ancient Sinagua Tribe.
Water from
the well runs out of a rock wall near Beaver Creek and into
a channel that runs right to the ranch I am working at. The
water is then used to irrigate a large pasture. It is amazing
going out in the morning to change the valves and stick my
hands into the warm steaming water.
April,
2005
Springtime
is once again in the air making us burn with anticipation to
get back in the saddle again. Well there are a few obstacles
preventing an immediate departure from Arizona. Mother Nature
has a snowy grip on the upper elevations where we will begin
the next leg of the journey. The trail should be clear by June.
This part
of the trip, if all works as planned, will take is above the
timberline where we will spend a summer in the Colorado rockies.
This is some of the most rugged country in the world and has
the most 14 teeners (14k foot Mountains) in North America.
Most of the trail is above 12,000 feet with parts above 13,000.
Riding off
the Divide to re-supply could be a three-day decent to a resort
and an arduous climb to return. Therefore we are drying lots
of food that not only saves money but also cuts the bulk and
weight in half allowing us to carry more food. We have Smoke
and Butterfly in full training. Smoke has just been gelded
and responding well to training
October,
2005
The Expedition
is in high gear getting everything ready to travel. We are
making some major changes in the packing system to travel lighter.
The next leg of the trip will have less layovers and more riding.
There will not be the long layovers so a lot of the gear used
in more of a wilderness survival mode will not be needed and
stored for later.
With the
additional riding, we plan to do much more walking to prevent
saddle sores. So along with shaving pounds of the gear, we
are shaving pounds off the beltline and working out to get
in shape for this next section. It is always exciting getting
ready for the next leg of the trip and making changes.
Update on
Heber horses: On September 22, 2005, the Court re-set the date
for the preliminary injunction hearing to December 9, 2005
at the request of our attorneys in the Federal District Court
for Arizona-Phoenix court. The Court also extended the TRO
prohibiting the FS from awarding a contract to capture horses
in Apache-Sitgreaves or capturing horses in Apache-Sitgreaves.
So, the horses are safe right now. I don't think anyone can
touch them, the FS, the Apache Tribe or anyone.
May
- June, 2005
This horseback
odyssey may be presently stopped but the Expedition is still
growing. I?m working on a large horse ranch caring for 36 horses
and building a studio in Sedona. Karin is teaching at a Montessori
School and driving a School bus as we work to support the trip.
Taking time off not only allows us to finance the trip but
to rebuild the packing system while adding innovations
for the next leg of the trip.
We have added
to our camera equipment with new microphones, filters and lenses.
Taking time off from the trail also gives us a chance to dehydrate
food. The dehydrator is running 7 days a week as we dry spinach,
green beans, mushrooms, strawberries, broccoli, bananas, onions,
and applesauce for a some good eating on the trail. The main
reason for stopping is to replace Number Three who was sold to
a family in Alpine Arizona.
What goes
on with the Expedition when we take a time out? Well, a lot
of hard work and dedication. When riding, we think of ways
to make life easier on the trail so when we do stop, we can
make the changes. Some of the modifications this year included
arranging the gear in different color-coded coolers to make
up specialized kits. For instance, the red cooler holds blank
cd's, Mini DV's, micro cassettes, MD disks and DVD's. The purple
cooler holds the two-way ham radios, short wave, weather radio,
gameboy, etc. The nylon coolers also protect the gear. We have
coolers with health supplies, repair kits and all our food
is packed in them also.
Not everything
is hard work. We play tennis at a beautiful lighted court,
I play hockey three to four days a week and we golf occasionally.
We also go swimming in Oak Creek, Beaver Creek and the Verdi
River along with tubing, Kayaking and rafting. It is important
to keep in shape to contend with the demands on the trail.
Two of our mares are pregnant but we have two to ride and may
be riding the mustang one of these days. It is hard for me
to stop more than a month and all I can think about is riding
the country!
August
30, 2006
We are in
full preparation to getting back on the trail. After such a
long stop there is an overwhelming amount of work to get organized
and packed. New gear has been purchased while some gear is
no longer a part of the Expedition. The biggest goal is not
to overload the horses. Pages are cut from books and any extra
weight that can be deleted will be deleted. Getting the food
ready is also a big choir. We will travel through the wilderness
so getting everything we need for two months takes a lot of
planning. Winters come early in the mountains and we will be
in Arizona's most remote mountain wilderness later than planned.
Our innovative
system is difficult to get started but once in order is the
fastest in the world and runs smoothly. The equipment can be
unpacked and packed in breakneck speed and a horse can be loaded
with 200 pounds of gear in less than a minute. It takes a month
to get fully organized but even then we must make changes,
as food is eaten or after re-supplying, or to change with the
seasons. The pack boxes are packed within a pound of each side.
A perfectly balance pack animal can run at a full gallop with
a loose cinch.
August
15, 2006
The last
time we made a major upgrade to the Expedition was in Oregon
in 1995. I'm finishing up building a house while Karin works
with children in the local area. After such an extensive layover,
it will be a fresh start when we get back in the saddle. Unfortunately,
the summer is coming to an end, which means cold winter travel
ahead. The plan so far is to ride out through the White Mountains
when the leaves change colors, then through the badlands of
New Mexico. Much challenge lies ahead!
We have upgraded
all the electronics with a powerful Macintosh G4 along with
a spare. We also have bright LED lighting, a larger solar array
and new video/audio equipment to help document the trip. One
of the most important pieces of equipment is our Alpha Smart
word processor. This is a full size keyboard with an LCD display
running Palm OS. This word processor uses about as much power
as a transistor radio and will be a great asset to our writing.
We also have much needed top-of-the-line sleeping bags for
winter and purchased an expensive ?Equipedic? saddle pad with
memory foam and a high tech cooling system.
September
8, 2007
What a change to go from the dry, shrubby desert of Camp Verde
into the White Mountains of Arizona. I camped at one site that
had so many elk they kept me awake at night with their bugling.
You know you're in the mountains when elk keep you awake at night.
I met up with some great, old friends of mine, the Harpers,
in Alpine. I was able to camp on the National Forest right
next to the border of their property and do some important
work on my pack system. The Harper family has five kids who
kept me busy with pony rides, tours of my gear and answering
a barrage of questions. We even had a little time for some
pinecone baseball. I gave a presentation to the students and
staff at Alpine Elementary School, a neat mountain school with
a
little over 40 students.
Karin came up from the desert to visit for a couple days. She
took four girls out riding on our horses and old #3, who found
a permanent home in comfort at the Harper's when I sold him to
this family two years back. He was happy to see our mares again.
Karin and I had breakfast at the Bear Wallow Cafe and scouted
out my planned trip along the Blue River. Later we went up to
see the flaming Quaking Aspens at Hanagan Meadow.
If anyone out there ever makes it into Alpine, AZ: the Bear
Wallow Cafe is a must see. They have a large menu, enormous
servings and their meals are truly cooked with pride. They
have the freshest, most colorful salad bar that you wouldn't
expect from a small town cafe. OK, now I'm hungry again thinking
of that great meal! I guess I'll go have a handful of dried
fruit and nuts to stop my stomach from churning.
October
7, 2007
I'm Finely "back
in the saddle again." Not only back in the saddle but back
in the high mountains where I will stay until the snow forces
us out. There is still some good riding weather left here in
the Southwest.
Karin is going to stay behind in Arizona to help with promoting
the
Expedition and helping with our field guide. She may return as
soon as
next spring or possibly longer if need be. It's very hard to
be
separated but we both know it is for the best for now.
Karin and I will stay in touch by cell phone, telephone, and
email. I
will be sending her word documents along with recordings for
the book.
I have a digital voice recorder, which records in MP3 files.
I can
burn a disk and send to Karin.
I'm traveling with Belknap, Coley and Starlite. Karin is planning
to
breed the mares to produce a couple more trail horses. butterfly
is
two now and may replace coley who is reaching her retirement.
Is it
possible life can go on without Coley?
October
22, 2007
I rode off to my first camp after the long lay-over in Alpine. I had a very nice
departure as the Harper family waved and took pictures. They; even opened gates
for me along the way so I wouldn't have to dismount off of big ol' Starlight.
For the first 5 miles, I was able to stay in communication with them on their
family radios until I lost reception. The scenery was spectacular as I made my
way down into the wild Blue River country. The trees are changing color now and
squirrels are busy running about, cutting cones to prepare for the approaching
winter snow.
For such a long time off the trail, everything went perfect. This was my first
time out with Starlight as my mount and she did great. She did everything I asked
of her and was so fast I had to slow her down so the pack horses wouldn't gig.
Starlight is a half Belgium Draft horse and half Tobiano Paint. She's a beautiful,
little tank.
My campsite on the Blue River is very nice and relaxing. I'm taking couple days
off just to recover from the big push of getting back on the trail. I had a good
12 hour sleep last night and today I think I will write a little and sleep some
more. I love to just sit and listen to the birds, with the leaves falling and
the gurgle of the river flowing by and.....z zz zzz zzzz ZZZZZZZZZZZZ...
October 2007 Update:
Karin visited us in the Blue Range just before we entered the
Primitive Area. She brought supplies and steaks for the grill.
A
couple days before she showed up, a local resident gave me some
homemade oak charcoal! We had a nice but short visit at our camp
on
the beautiful Blue River. To make her long trip worth it, I installed
new brakes on her car.
Karin was so happy to be out in the mountains with the horses
that she
jumped on Starlite bareback, with nothing but a lead rope, to
water
the horses. As we left the river Starlite charged forward and
bucked
Karin onto the frozen ground.
The fall was so violent that Karin was dazed and winded. We sat
there
for a bit because her ankle was injured and we were not sure
what else
was wrong. As I approached her, I noticed angry hornets flying
around,
they were swarming. It was cold and the hornets were lethargic.
Then,
I realized Karin was lying on top of a ground nest! I helped
her up
ASAP and we moved to a safer area before the hornets could organize
themselves.
When we got back to my camp we figured out that on top of getting
slammed to the ground, Karin also was stung three times on the
bum.
This actually has happened to Karin before, when we were traveling
through the Sierra Wilderness, bringing back so many memories
of when
we were camping near the hot springs on the South Fork Kern River.
At
least now we know what caused Starlight to leap and buck so violently.
She was probably being stung herself!
Late October 2007 Update:
The ride into the Blue Range Primitive Area was along a rugged
creek
and a steep climb. The fall colors were beautiful. The ride would
be
very relaxing one minute and the next minute we would be hanging
on a
ledge. The horses were out of shape and not used to the mountains
yet,
making it even more exciting, especially in the frosty mornings
when
horses are pumped-up and flighty.
One narrow canyon we traversed had steep walls on both sides.
We
shared the canyon bottom with a bear which was evident by the
many
tracks and huge piles of bear poo. After seeing so many signs
of Mr.
Bear all morning, I said to myself, "I'm going to see a bear
today." I
kept looking ahead continuously, hoping we wouldn't encounter
the big
bruin on a ledge.
My prediction was right on. While riding Starlight and scanning
the
area ahead, I saw a bear moving out of our way. Starlite was
really
spooky for the next three hours! Right after seeing the bear
the trail
was steep and there wasn't much room for the both of us. Then,
out of
nowhere, a huge hawk flew up out of the brush right in front
of us,
scaring the crap out of both myself and Starlight, who were both
on
'High Anxiety Bear Alert' status.
After crossing some grassy mesas, we left the Primitive Area
and rode
into the tiny town of Alma, New Mexico. We stayed long enough
to
purchase a few mandatory supplies at an expensive tourist market
and
then entered the Gila Wilderness.
Early November 2007 Update:
It was a long ride from Alma and into the Gila Wilderness. I
took my
helmet off so I could wear my headphones and listen to my Spanish
lessons on the MP3 player. We made it to the trailhead and as
we
started up a steep trail Coley wouldn't go over a log and pulled
back.
I had to lean way back in the saddle to keep a hold of the rope.
It was dusk and dark, something spooked Starlight while I was
leaning
over, off-balance and she pitched me into a pile of rocks. I
hit my
head on the rocks and knocked my shoulder out of place. It took
what
seemed like forever for me to get my shoulder into place. I then
had
to get up on a rock in order to mount the horse.
We rode about three miles when I lost the trail with no daylight
left.
I slept on the saddle pads and tied the horses short. The next
morning
I could barely load the horses and get into the saddle. Coley
once
again wouldn't go over a log so I went behind her and swatted
her on
the rump. She flew over the log and hasn't had a log problem
since.
It?s been hard getting on Starlight because of her large girth
(and
mine) so I once I got off I would walk until I found a big rock
or log
to stand on to help me get into the saddle. I walked most of
the way
up Mogollon Baldy to nearly 11,000 feet. I called Karin when
I was out
of wind, thirsty, hurt and tired. I could only leave a message
about
what terrible shape I was in. Unfortunately, I was soon out-of-range
and couldn't call again for almost 2 months, which worried her
extremely.
It took three weeks for my shoulder to heal and during that time
I
only changed my camp location once. I spent one week on White
Creek
and two on the Middle Fork of the Gila River. There was good
grass for
the horses and lots of wildlife to view. Elk would come through
both
camps and at night a Mexican Spotted Owl kept me company with
soft
little hoots. A bear came through the White Creek Camp but I
chased
him off early.
Late November 2007 Update:
Where I was in the wilderness is pretty much empty of people.
I only
talked to 4 hikers in three months. The grass was knee high to
the
horses. The horses were so amped-up from the good feed and lots
of
rest that they were always hard to handle for the first couple
hours
on the trail. Although, by now I know it's always an exciting
ride
right after a rest period.
After leaving my camp at Middle Fork we met Chris from Steamboat
Springs Colorado; a true-to-life ski bum. I had only been on
the trail
for 15 minutes that morning and stopped by Chris's camp to get
information on the trail. He said it was real tough so I just
made
camp and decided to check it out first on foot. Sometimes trails
along
a river can be very dangerous for stock.
I started bread dough for my trail pizza and luck provided
us with a
23-inch brown trout. The trout was so big that we had to cut
it into
steaks in order to fire it on the grid. Chris worked as a grill
cook and BBQ'd that trout to perfection. The pizza turned
out incredibly
good and we had the best camp meal I?ve experienced this year!
I'm hungry now just thinking of it! Chris made an excellent
host and the
company reminded me that the shared experience of the trail is
what
this trip is all about.
Early December 2007 Update:
I made it to the Middle Fork Gila River after a nice ride over
a high
mesa. There was a big drop with sharp switchbacks down what seemed
to
be an almost impossible decent. We camped at the edge of a large
meadow upon a ledge right above the river. Exquisite! Next to
the camp
was a series of warm springs. It was cold and cloudy but I was
able to
wash in the warm springs. One magical pool was full of catfish
and
small bass. I would sit there for hours watching the fish in
this
natural aquarium.
We then traveled down river and found a nice place to camp, again,
on
the river. I was going to sleep under the stars but an unexpected
storm rolled through in the middle of the night. I had to rush
to set
up the tent and get my gear under the tarp in the light rain.
The
local radio station from Albuquerque never tells you of any weather
moving in. The weatherman basically sticks his head out his window
and
tells you what is going on today.
The next day it sprinkled on and off so I took a layover day.
That
night it rained very hard all night long without a break. I checked
the level of the river occasionally to see if it was going to
be
necessary to move camp. In the morning the storm was over and
I knew
the river was going to be high. The river was a muddy brown,
about 2
feet over normal and rising. I decided to wait until the river
level
dropped before leaving that camp.
The river didn?t peak until three days after the storm because
each
little wash and creek that is normally dry is now draining into
the
river for a 30 mile span. There were big logs and debris floating
downstream making it unsafe to travel. The trail crossed the
river
back and forth nearly 30 times in a mile. I was on a bench with
a lot
of feed for the horses so we just stayed.
A plus to this camp was Jordan Hot Spring, which was a 15-minute
walk
away. One of my favorite things in the world is a natural hot
spring.
I will travel at length out of my way to visit them. I would
soak most
of the day. It was cold and raining on and off for 5 days straight.
This year is supposed to be a dry winter with La Nina effect;
El
Nino's opposite.
The hot spring was high above the river with a great view of
the
pinnacles and cliffs of the Gila River Gorge. The hot water
flowed into a pool big enough to swim laps. There were
maples and beautiful
sycamore trees with scattered oaks, juniper and towering ponderosa
pines. A grey squirrel kept me company as he gathered nuts and
acorns
even during the rain.
There was a grotto I could tuck into if it rained hard. It was
warmer
than the rest of the pool and lined with interesting moss and
cave-like deposits. On the way to the pool I would be in a blue
funk
that normally goes with the wet, cold weather. After a long soak,
I
would leave that area energized and loving every bit of the wilderness
experience including the cold, wet weather. It is really amazing
what
warm water can do for your mood?
Mid December 2007 Update
After the river dropped about 2 foot I rode out to the Gila Cliff
Dwellings. It was a slow ride crossing the river a hundred times
and
then climbing a narrow dry creek up to a mesa. I then traveled
to Gila
Hot Springs, NM, which is a small town with one store.
I spent over a hundred dollars on a few basics like spaghetti,
flour
and camp fuel. Beware budgeted thru hikers! This is one of the
most
expensive resort stores I've ever visited. The owners weren't
that
friendly to me either.
We continued on to East Fork Gila and then down the Gila River
toward
Melody Hot Springs. The trail was washed over from the over-flooded
river. The soil was deposits from the eroded volcanic mountains.
The
horses would sink deep in and the only feed seemed to be weeds.
I
wanted to get out of there quickly, so I changed my route and
decided
to ride up the East Fork Gila. The map showed the trail going
down a private rode and I continued on.
One of the residents stopped, told the road was private and denied
me
access. I was forced to turn around and take an alternate route
high
up a mesa and back down to the river. It was steep and muddy
was hard
on the horses. Every time a horse would slip, I would curse the
landowner who wouldn't let me by pass by this mess. It would
have been
a 15-minute ride on that private property, but the man didn't
offer. I
don?t know why, he was interested in the trip and asking me a
million
questions. Maybe he was just not a very trusting man.
I did find some peace and solitude in a hidden, little-known
area. I
feel a tremendous sense of freedom and dependence riding through
these remote wildernesses. It took me back to when I lived in
the
mountains in Montana, and I spent the time thinking about some
of the
experiences I had back then.
When I was building my cabin, from materials I harvested from
my own
property in Montana, every Wednesday and Friday I would abstain
from
meat and the only food I would eat is that which I harvested
from my
own land. If I was too lazy to forage or couldn?t find anything
edible
I would fast those days. Due to my own sloth, I probably lost
30 to 40
pounds during that time. I was leaner and felt stronger
then. I think
I will adopt that again.
End of December 2007 Update:
After another big storm that dropped 6 inches of snow and an
inch of
rain on us, I left the cold Gila River. Finding the old trail
was
nearly impossible. I was just about to give up and was turning
to go
back, when I noticed what looked like a trail off to my left.
It then
looked like drainage from the steep cliff ahead. I then noticed
a
small unnatural line cut into the side of the cliff, ascending
to the
top. THIS was the trail!!! Holy s***, I started praying that
Starlight would not start thinking about bears!
It was a steep scary ride. I walked most of the way on the 1000-foot
climb that stretched half a mile. I was approaching an area where
all
I could see was blue sky. I was just thinking about getting off
my
mount and walking when a big red-tailed hawk appeared over the
cliff,
headed straight for us. Of course, as bad as a bear in this
circumstance, the large bird scared Starlight. This in turn scared
me,
and I believe the hawk was startled because he seemed to be flapping
his wings backwards to get away.
We came to the top of the mesa and it was difficult finding the
trai
which would appear and disappear. I figured I was spending too
much
time looking for the trail so I rode cross-country for two days.
I was
fortunate to find a spring and a great camp with good sun. The
weather
was cold but the sun was out allowing me to charge batteries,
do
laundry and take a hot solar shower.
At this time of the year, socks take two days to dry. With the
low
winter sun, it takes two solar showers filled halfway to heat
up
enough water for a good shower. There was good grass for the
horses
and they could be tied close to camp. I enjoy watching the horses
eat, but many times I have to tether them away from camp.
I found some pottery from the ancient Mimbres Tribe which disappeared
suddenly two centuries ago. The pottery is beautiful and quite
intricate with black and white colors. Some of the nicest pottery
I've
found yet. The area also had arrowheads and flakes from rocks
that
were worked into arrowheads.
Christmas-January 2007 Update:
Another snowstorm dropped a lot of snow in the high country just
in
time for our Lord's birthday celebration of 2007. I tried to
climb up
to the Continental Divide in the Aldo Leopold Wilderness but
the trail
was icy and snow covered. I had to turn back. I was disappointed
because I so wanted to climb in elevation and find a cell signal
to
call Karin, my friends and family to wish all a Merry Christmas.
Instead I was forced to follow a rode through a valley that marked
the
boundaries of the Gila and Aldo Leopold Wildernesses heading
North.
I spotted two Mexican Grey wolves that very day. I believe there
were
actually three more in the area due to the tracks I could identify
in
the snow. I saw a lot of elk, deer and turkeys, and a bunch of
Cottontail rabbits. I rode along dirt roads for a week and a
half.
They were icy with hidden puddles. The horses were slipping all
the
time, making for some hard riding. I walked a lot here.
I finally made it to a town called Chloride. What looked to be
a ghost
town actually had a fire chief and when I met him, he stated
that he
might have a nice place for me to camp near his house. I told
him I am
a carpenter, plumber and electrician and he said he might have
some
work for me. He said he had to go get food in Winston. So, I
headed
out of my way to his property. It took him 4 hours for the ride
to
Winston and back, and during that time, he changed his mind about
work. I was at his property when he got home and it was almost
dark.
He told me there would be no work for me and told me to camp
in his
lumberyard. There was barely any feed here for the horses on
the day
after Christmas. I was out of there early the next morning with
no
send off.
As I was riding off it started storming with freezing, blowing
snow.
The road out was over a narrow, windy paved rode through a mountain
pass; not what l really like to ride on when it is snow covered
and
icy. On top of the road conditions, there were 18-wheeler logging
trucks going back and forth from the mine. I had o time each
curve
between trucks so I would get hit or cause an accident. It was
terribly stressful.
The day before, the Fire Chief had offered me a month's work
at his
place, we discussed what he needed done and everything. If I
would not
have taken the detour to his house, I would have ridden on and
made it
over the pass and to a camp before the storm hit. I wish he would
have
thought the decision through (or contacted his wife) before offering
me the work. That would have saved me some harrowing riding.
Halfway to Cuchillo, I found a spring near an old, abandoned
adobe
house. A couple days later, some friendly hunters came by who
were
related to an old lady who had been born in that adobe house.
They
brought Sally out to meet me that Sunday. She brought some homemade
tortillas she had made and carne asada. As we ate, she to told
me a
story she remembered of when she was a little girl. She learned
how to
make tortillas from her mother. One day when Sally was about
4, when
she was watching her mother in the kitchen of the adobe house,
she
climbed up on a wooden chair and started rocking it back and
forth.
Her mother told her to quit because she would fall. She defied
her
mother and continued rocking, finally falling when the chair
slipped
on the dirt floor. Her mother gathered her up and gave her a
not-so-hard swat on the bum. She was surprised when her mother
immediately started laughing and pointed out to her the large,
white
handprint of flour on her pants.
Sally?s relatives, the hunters, Manny and Henry would come up
every
few days to chat and bring me Sally had made for me. What great
hospitality from this woman and her family! Even thought they
no
longer occupied the homestead, they were consummate hosts, providing
for my sustenance while visiting them. To think of it, I have
yet to
meet a hunter that did not share whatever he had with me. Sally
and
her family are a prime example of community good-will that I
enjoy so
much when I come across it and when I do, I cannot help but pray
to
God in thanksgiving.
Mid January 2007 Update:
I stayed for two weeks at the adobe house, waiting out two more
storms. I heard there was a good spring in Dry Willow Creek.
I moved
my camp there and found swarms of birds eating and drinking a
beautiful oasis with great views of the mountains. There was
a
man-made wishing well full of water, mining ruins nearby and
I could
almost see all the way down to the White Sands Missile Range.
Record cold hit the area just about the time I was hoping for
global
warming! Snowmobilers were lost for a couple days in the mountains
nearby. A snowboarder has been missing for two weeks now, and
5-6
people died of exposure with this viscous cold snap. It got down
to
single digits where I was.
The adobe house was a place I took some time to relax. There
was lots
of sunshine for the solar panels between the storms. My tent
warms up
to 70 degrees in direct sunlight, even when it is 20 degrees
outside.
It is like a green house. I love the effect when the sun is high
because sometimes I can stop and watch DVD's inside the tent
with the
solar panels charging the batteries from outside the door.
I?m nearly out of food now and had been relying mostly on foraging
wild food. Boy, it gets to be slim pickins in the desert. I lost
about
30 or more pounds at this point since October. I felt great,
but still
want to loose 30 more pounds. There are so many advantages to
being
fit on the trail, including keeping the horses happy to be carrying
less weight!
Recently, I have been cresting the top of a large hill nearby
daily to
get reception on the cell phone. I ordered a big box of food
supplies
from Karin that will last another three or four months. I
have tasks
Karin will be performing for me in order to accomplish some of
my
ideas. I?ll be out of coverage with the website until the beginning
of
Fall. In the meantime, Karin will write my updates from the brief
conversations we will have by cell. So long until Fall.
January
1, 2008
As the New Year is here, I have been reflecting back upon
last year and boy, have things changed. Last year, I was in the middle of
construction on a new house I built for a friend of mine
in Arizona,
the horses were getting a lot of time off, and we were all
FAT.
Now, everyone is getting lean---and mean. Recently, I was
riding on a
particularly treacherous trail outside Reserve, AZ when Starlight decided
to pitch me off as I was waiting for Coley to cross a log
that was over the trail. Being out of touch with
no cell coverage, I had
not been seriously injured, but Karin had no idea what had
become of me. I
was out of communication for over a month.
Crossing into New Mexico and the cold is affecting everything to do with this
Expedition. My travel has been slowed considerably as there have been quite
a few storms and the welcomed snowfall this area so desperately needs.
I am headed for Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, where I plan on spending
some time researching local history and continuing to plan my route.
