Trail Riding in the Big Horn Mountains - Pt. 2

Lake Solitude is the must see of the Big Horn ride.  We saw it twice - once from the shores and once from the mountain above.  How can I describe it?  It is everything you see in the pictures and more!  You feel like you are in a movie scene and this backdrop just can't be real.  But it is!  It looks like a swimming pool at the resorts where the water rests on the edge.  It is clear and blue - even on a cloudy day.

It was a day of waterfalls.  There were two that we visited along the way to Solitude and two at Solitude.  Looking at our tracks, we took our time and enjoyed the scenery.  The first water fall we stopped at we had to hike in quite a ways.  The water was running fast and loud.  A great place to sit and take pictures and just explore.

We had lunch at the second waterfall and some of the guys in our party did more hiking and climbing.  I sat on the rock and took pictures.  I couldn't imagine finding this on my own and so glad our friend, Mike, was our tour guide.

When we reached solitude, it was just like a movie.  We popped out of the trees and there it was.  Looking at Windy's ears in this picture, I think she was in awe, too.  We spent a lot of time at this spot taking pictures and just staring at the beauty.

We took the trail to the right of where the original picture was taken.  It took us through the trees and then eventually along this "cement" trail.  It was like nothing I have ever rode before.



On the other end of of Lake Solitude, we took a break and let the horses graze.  It was just a pretty from this end as it was from the one we had just visited.  I think I could have spent the day just gazing at the water, the sky and the mountains.

We had more places to go!  We followed the trail to the other side of the lake and beyond.  We climbed slightly higher, with the lake behind us and came upon the waterfall.  You will see it at about 30 seconds into this video.  Are we in Heaven or what?

After the waterfall, we followed the trail up into the mountains.  There was one stretch of trail that was pretty narrow and it was hard to look down.  I thought I had my GoPro going but I didn't and wasn't about to take my hands off my reins to take pictures!  I am afraid of heights but it was not enough that it would have made me stop going along that route.  It was so beautiful.  

I will share photos from the rest of that loop and tracks at the end of this post.  We rode just shy of 20 miles on this day.  

Tracks from that day can be found on Garmin Connect https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/859347939 

Go to Part 3

Trail Riding in the Big Horn Mountains - Pt. 1

This past summer, John and I took a dream vacation to the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming.  In the days before Facebook became what seems to be the only way to communicate these days (and yes, I am guilty of it, too) I would have had each day blogged in detail and ready to publish when I found the elusive cell signal.  But I didn't and here it is in January, a good 6 months after our trip and I am finally getting around to posting what will ultimately be more of a pictorial than a blog.  I can't remember what I did last week; to tell the story of a half a year ago won't come easy or at all.

If you are reading my blog for the first time, we live in eastern Nebraska.  I think it was a good 12 hours to get up to Buffalo from our home.  We didn't want to wear the horses out before we got there, so we overnighted at the fairground in Douglas, Wyoming.  Easy in and out, nice pens and clean tanks.

Everyone warned us the road going into Battle Park was a humdinger.  It took us a good part of an hour to travel those 15 miles.  Just when we thought it would be around the next curve, it wasn't.  To those in Nebraska who drive to Halsey, THAT is a walk in the park compared to this road!

Our friends had arrived before us and we found a place and leveled out.  There were no corrals left, so we put our name on a waiting list and high-tied our horses.  Weed free hay is required and it was available at the camp for $12 a bale and it was nice hay.  Camping is primitive but who cares!  You are in the mountains with no humidity and a beautiful sky.

A bit of housekeeping first, because I'll forget when we get to the end of it.  Your horses don't necessarily need to be conditioned for altitude but they have to be conditioned.  Do not take your horse out of the pasture and expect them to ride the mountains.  And don't think you put 1,000 miles each year on your horse unless you GPS every mile.  We compete is distance riding and I have GPS'd every mile for many years and there have only been a couple years that I have actually rode over 1,000 miles, including competitions.  It's not as easy as it sounds!

With that said, set your horse up for success.  Start conditioning before you go.  Add speed and distance but not at the same time.  Listen to how heavy he is breathing and how quickly he recovers.  Make sure your tack fits so the horse doesn't get saddle sore.  You will need a breast collar - it is not optional!  And for horses without withers, you may want to consider a crupper.  Our horses were shod on all fours and they came home sound.  If I were to do it again, I would also include pads.  It was a lot rockier than I imagined and I would have hated to get a sole bruise the first day and ruin the trip.

The next piece of advice I have is to go with someone who has been there before unless you are equipped with maps or a GPS with tracks.  I am sure we wouldn't have seen half of what we saw without our friends who were Big Horn veterans.  And even after spending a week there, I am not sure we would try it ourselves.  I am sure John thinks we could but I can just about imagine the fights we would have on the trail trying to remember where to go!

The first day, we didn't venture too far.  About 15 miles round trip.  The horses had rested almost 24 hours and we felt that was a safe distance for the first time out in this altitude.  We rode thru some trees, passed a fishing lake and took in the sights.  The sky was sunny and the weather beautiful.  This day we were in short sleeves.  My GPS said it was 70 degrees.

We rode up to what is called the Lost Cabin.  Not too lost as it is obviously used for hunting with some amenities still on the shelves.  

Looking at our GPS tracks, we headed a little further out, made a loop and came back to camp.  A pretty ride and plenty of water on the trail.

 

Here is our Day 1 tracks and the link to Garmin Connect to view online.  https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/872161889


Go to Part 2