The sun was hitting the side of my face as I walked through the green pasture down to the corrals last Thursday a the ranch to get ready for my day ride. 1A 2C was present in the calendar so I was only expecting one family....my kind of ride! Halters slung on my shoulder, I walked into the corral to choose horses. I never decide in advance anymore, just pick some as I walk through the herd. Today's ride would include, Axle and Trymm, (for the kids) and Domino for the mom. Jesse (Katie's horse) seemed like a nice option for me since I hadn't ridden her before. Of course, my little buddy LeRoy didn't think that was a good plan as it meant he wasn't going. I lined up the horses and tossed lead lines over their necks as they walked through the green gate one by one. "Such beautiful animals" I think every time I see them. They trotted on over to the feed troughs to wait for the appearance of the white bucket; the keeper of the oats! I tied each one and said hello before grabbing some oats to share with them. Brushing was next...the blue bristled one today..followed by the hoof pick to check a few shoes here and there. It was an afternoon ride you see so the sun started to beat down on my back as the temperature increased. With horses all clean, I opened the new tack shed and chose saddles...very important for them to fit horse and rider you see. With all four horses tacked and resting by the rail, I sat down on a block of wood to wait for the guests. Around 2:30 they came walking across the field with smiling faces and good attitudes. Waivers were signed and helmets were secured before tossing the kids up on their horses. After all stirrups were adjusted, I told them a little about the trail ride and off we went. The mom was very friendly and the kids super excited...although I think the mom was just as excited as the kids were this time around. We talked about their life in Alaska and their pack animals (llamas)...I shared a few horse stories and gave them some facts about the Fjords. About 30 minutes into the ride, it occurred to me that this was going to be my last day ride...not just for this week...the season... or this year....but quite possibly forever. As the thought crossed my mind I almost started to cry...to think about all the fun moments with kids, parents, and couples shared on that rocky trail to Coon Lake over the past two summers. It has been an experience to assist some people ride a horse for the first time, to listen to kids laugh as they looked at the horses striped mane standing straight up, to hear men say "no, don't eat" over and over again as horses continued to munch along the trail, to laugh as people try to hold the reins while taking pictures, to say "stay in the middle" or "you are leaning to the left" 20 times on a ride, to feel the hemp rope rubbing on my hands as I pony a child's horse up the hill, or to just ride along in the silence while listening to the river rush and birds chirp. Fortunately I snapped out of it after a few moments or day dreaming since my current guests were still chatting away. The ride continued through Bullion Camp, up and across the rock slide taking in the views of Agnus Peak, creating more dust at the end of the trail while catching a glimpse of McGregor, and spending some time at Coon Lake....a place I have come to know well. The guests were great and ones we may even see again as they invited us to come visit in Alaska...cabin to stay in and everything! I guess this ride just made me think about all the things I love about Stehekin and all the things I will miss about this place (mind you there are definitely things I will NOT miss), which is a nice break from the day-to-day drama delt out in fair shares here. A guest took some pictures on my rides this week, so I might get to share those since it is a bit of a challenge to take pictures while actually guiding a day ride. Just a few more memories made here I thought I would share. Thanks Janet for the photos!!
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