Back to the Future

We rode back down Gilbert Basin to the previous night's camp site, where we slept very well.  The horses were so still that their bells rarely rang.  Even Coco was tired enough to stand still. 

The next day, we got an early start and retraced our steps back to the trailhead.  Things had gone smoothly up to that point, but we did have a little problem when we loosened Boss's girth to switch Eric's stirrups, which had been on backward for two days.  (Inexperienced as he was, he didn't know to complain.)  Unfortunately, no one remembered to tighten the girth after the fix.  Somehow Eric remounted without noticing the girth was loose, but a few hundred yards down the trail, the problem became obvious.  Luckily, he bailed off unscathed before the saddle went completely sideways, causing Boss to go into rodeo mode. 

Oh, well, there were bound to be a few glitches.  We calmed Boss down, straightened the saddle, TIGHTENED the girth this time, and started out again.  No harm, no foul.  I'm not sure it's better to be lucky than smart, but it's useful, anyway. 
Eric and Steve had a spirited discussion over lunch:

They were talking about why the windward side of the mountains receives more rain. You can read the explanation here, on Eric's blog.  It's nice to have an engineer/physicist in the family to give us the final word on how stuff works.

We climbed the rocky pass again, walking through the worst of it to give the horses a break.  They followed each other in a line when we let them go:
Later, we passed lovely wetlands create by a beaver complex:

and saw a distant moose wading in Cleveland Lake.

(if we'd remembered to bring the newer 10X zoom camera, we would have had a better shot.  The old 4X zoom just wasn't enough.)

Below is a photo of Fox Lake.  When we downloaded the pics after the trip, we did a double take.  Was that the Lochness monster out there in the water? 

Okay, maybe it's just a rock.  But the effect is interesting, anyway.

We had lots of water crossings: 

Boss and Mischief are old hands at that, but Coco is still learning. He's gaining more confidence with every crossing.  One crossing was stirrup deep.  The horses handled it well, but we didn't take photos because we were too busy watching where we were going and trying not to get wet.

Daisy, of course, loves to get wet.  Here she is, shaking off after a dip:

On the way out, we noticed a couple of low bridges that had nails sticking out of them.  This could be hazardous to hoof health:

Steve and Eric moved the dangerous parts off the trail so future riders would not be at risk.

We reached the trailhead about 6PM and made the drive home before dark.  Another "successful" trip! (Everyone arrived home without injury.)  We saw great sights, made good memories, learned a few things, and had fun.  What more could a person ask?

Mountain Panorama

We thought you might enjoy a video view of Gilbert Basin. I'm riding Mischief, my son Eric is riding Boss, and Steve is taking the video and narrating.
Since this is a short post, I'll take the opportunity to answer a couple of questions that might be of general interest.
Betsy and Jabblog wondered if Eric could still walk after 3 days on horseback with no preparation. 
Answer: Eric did surprisingly well! He's in great shape from all of his hiking, climbing and biking, so maybe that's the explanation. In his situation, I would have been waddling for weeks!
To read  Eric's version of the trip, click here.
Robert asked about any special horse care required on such a trip, and the equine mpg.
Answer: An experienced trail horse drinks at almost every stream crossing. An inexperienced one may turn down water from a strange source at first, but he soon learns to take water where he can get it. Horses need a minimum of an hour of grazing, morning and evening. We use a single hobble to tie Boss (the boss horse) to a drag log so he can move around but won't go too far. Usually we'll hobble at least one of the others. With their herd instinct, horses prefer to stay in a group, so there's little danger that one will wander off alone. The boss horse is the ringleader, but with him contained, the rest will remain close. At night, we tie them on a highline, a sturdy rope with metal loops and tree savers (broad nylon bands to minimize bark damage) to go around the trees. We use bells so we'll hear if they become upset or, heaven forbid, escape and run away!  We check their feet before and after riding, groom them a little, and put boots on their hooves for very rocky trails. I know, it sounds like a lot of work, but really it doesn't take much time.
We've done similar excursions on foot with backpacks, but it's a lot easier (especially as we get older) with the horses carrying the gear.
How many miles to the gallon? Since Robert is a hydrologist, I assume he meant mpg of water.  Well, horses drink about 10 gallons per day when working. We went 12-16 miles per day on this trip. So, a max of just over 1.5 mpg.
Without packs on an easy, alluvial trail, horses can travel 20 miles per day with no problem, which improves the mpg a bit. They eat 10-15 pounds of grass/hay per day, so that's up to .5 pounds per mile.
Jabblog asked about Daisy.  Yes, Daisy does her own walking the entire way.  We've never had to carry her or put boots on her feet.  In fact, since she roams about and goes on brief chases after game here and there, she probably travels twice the distance that the horses go.

Here Comes the Sun

We were up with the sun the next morning, the second day of our trip. A light frost was on the ground.  Once the sun shone on our camp, we all warmed up rapidly.

The horses grazed in a green meadow beside a small stream. Mischief and Boss are near the center, and Coco is off to the right. (If you enlarge, you can see our blue tent in the distance among the spruce trees.)

We left our camp intact when we saddled up and rode out, planning to return that evening to spend another night. We were able to ride faster without carrying all of our gear. Here's a scene as we broke out of the trees and headed up a meadow complex:

We rode about 16 miles round trip that day, all the way across Painter Basin and up to the highest part of Gilbert Basin.  Here are Steve and Eric approaching the high end of Gilbert Basin:

You can see Daisy riding just behind Boss, her face in the swish of his tail.  She often gets in this position. She likes being close to Boss, and borrowing a tail is convenient to keep the flies off one's face. 

Almost there!

At our destination (11,600 feet, or about 3500 meters), we took a short break and admired the scene:

Such grandeur was well worth the long ride, don't you think?

Roughing It

After we went over Fox Queant Pass, (or "passed out" as Steve likes to say - and at this altitude [11,400 ft], Steve's term seems almost literally apropos)  we came to Fox Lake.  As we rode by, we were treated to reflections in the still water: 

Near the lake, we saw the remains of an old cabin, origin unknown,

and continued through a series of open meadows to our camping spot: 

We had a nice view of Gunsight Pass, which leads into the Henry's Fork drainage on the north slope of the Uintas:

The sun set soon after we were settled for the night, leaving a glow over the mountains: 

The full moon rising was a beautiful sight: 

Eric chose to sleep outside in a sleeping bag:

After we had our freeze dried fare and the horses had grazed for their supper, the equines spent the night on a highline:

  We put cow bells around their necks so we could hear if something made them restless.  Unfortunately, Coco is not accustomed to a highline and was restless most of the night, which we could hear clearly from inside our tent! 

Oh well, I guess we just had to consider it our own musical concert. 
As we rested out tired bones (and backsides), we anticipated riding even further into the backcountry the next day.

Into the Wild

Last week, we took our son Eric on his first horse pack trip.  He's done plenty of hiking, both in Utah and in the Seattle area where he lives, but 3 days on horseback was a new element. 

Steve rode Coco, and Eric rode Boss, our calmest mount.  (The orange wear is because it's bow hunting season.) All of the horses were loaded with overnight packs, which included light backpacking-type overnight gear and food for the humans, plus hobbles and highlines for the horses.

Mischief and I were ready to go, too.

Signs were a bit confusing in places (note the crossed-out direction).

The trail wound through a spruce forest:

and past serene lakes.

The meadows and even the steep, rocky slopes delighted us with end of summer wildflowers:

(bog gentian),

(cinquefoil),

(harebells),

We ascended from the 10,200 ft trailhead to the rocky Fox Queant Pass (11,400 ft/ about 3400 m):

where we entered the Uinta Wilderness Area. 

Don't worry, the horses had boots on, and the humans got off and walked wherever the going was especially tough.
Join us in tomorrow's post, as we continue our "survival" adventure!