Friday, June 27, 2008

A Horseback Ride To Remember


Monday June 23, 2008. Ellie and I Went for a horseback ride on Pine Valley Mountain today with my brother Brent. We went to Anderson Meadow and should have returned from there but decided to go on over to Mill Flat. It turned out to be to far and we were all dog tired when we got home. Ellie got rubbed off on a low-hanging tree but survived without injury. I don't think she will be wanting to go again for a long while though.

With the negatives out of the way, the mountain is beautiful, lush and green. The wildflowers such as Columbine and Bluebell are just starting to bloom in the upper elevations. There is a good stream of water in Anderson Canyon, Dam Canyon and at Mill Flat, and several of the smaller canyons also still have water. There are many places where the trail needs maintenance, mostly to remove fallen trees. There are several places where you need to make a detour, but none are severe.

We spent quite a bit of effort cleaning the way around a good sized tree blocking the trail going to Mill Flat, then when I went to lead Cletis (my horse) around it he decided to jump over.

The trail down the Long Ridge was hot and dusty on our return, and we were all sore, tired and covered with trail dust when we got back, but there is nothing like a day on that mountain to renew your spirit and your appreciation for the beautiful place it is.

2 comments:

Your comments are welcome