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Great Western Trail, Uncategorized, Western Trails

So, Dad and I were talking the other day…

Dad and I got on the phone together on Christmas Day last week and talked a little about our upcoming pack trip. We’re talking about the second leg of our Mexico-to-Canada pack trip. I have been putting together a route plan and trying to figure out the best time frame to fit it into. Dad made that a lot easier.

Dad was born and raised in Panguitch, Utah. Panguitch, being steeped in pioneer tradition of the LDS faith, holds a Pioneer Day Celebration every year on or about July 24th, the day the first group of Mormon pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, under the command of Brigham Young.  Dad graduated high school there in Panguitch, and to this day his graduating class has a reunion every other year. In 2014, twenty-one of his classmates showed up out of a graduating class of thirty-nine. Since he graduated high school in 1952, that’s a phenomenal statistic!  Well, last week Dad had a request. He wants to arrive in Panguitch at the end of the second leg of our pack trip, so that he can attend his class reunion and the Panguitch Pioneer Day Celebration.

Well, that’s not too hard. We just figure out the total mileage, our anticipated mileage per day, and estimate the time it will take us to get from Eagar, Arizona to Panguitch, Utah, then simply track it back to determine when we need to depart Eagar to make it happen. Piece of cake!

So, here’s the figuring. The route we are planning has us departing Eagar, AZ and traveling almost due west, following US Route 60 to Show Low, AZ. We figured to follow the highway for that portion for a couple reasons. Firstly, water in that part of Arizona is pretty scarce, so we’ll need to have water delivered to us daily for that portion. Secondly, there is always grass growing alongside the highway, which will help our stock stay in good shape as we start the trip. Thirdly, in this area of Arizona, there are a lot of fences and few trails and the travel time we will save following the highway, rather than backroads, will be important to us later on in the trip. US Route 60 is the most direct route we could take from Eagar to Show Low. It has a wide easement and no travel restrictions, such as fences.  It also routes us around the White Mountain Apache Reservation, which is not particularly friendly to horse travel on their lands.  This route Just makes sense, despite our preference of following trails or backroads. It’s about 49 miles from our starting point in Eagar to Show Low by that route.

At Show Low, we will turn south and join the Mogollon Rim Road, which travels along the top of the Mogollon Rim, generally in a westward direction. For those unfamiliar with Arizona, the Mogollon Rim is the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau that drops off to the south, creating a steep drop in elevation of up to 4,000 feet in some places. It runs across central Arizona for about 200 miles. The Mogollon Rim Road follows most of the rim. We will be following this road just for a few miles.  Just west of Show Low there is a designated foot/horse trail that follows the same direction, just a bit closer to the actual rim. This is what we are hoping to be able to follow. We should be able to find adequate water and feed for the horses along that route, but if not, we are close enough to a decent road that we can have feed brought when needed. We will follow this route for about 100 miles before we join the Arizona Trail and head north again.

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The Arizona Trail is a designated trail for non-motorized travel that crosses Arizona from Mexico to Utah. I am a supporting member of the AZT, which has a very active association that maintains the trail. The trail is fully documented by GPS for mileage, water sources, elevation, etc, so there are few surprises there. This is the route the boys from “Unbranded” rode from Mexico to Utah. We will join the route just north of Payson, Arizona, between where you see Pine and Tonto Natural Bridge State Park on the AZT map. From that point, there is no guesswork in the mileage. It will be 220.5 miles from there to the south entrance of the Grand Canyon National Park.

Crossing the Grand Canyon on our own horses is the Crown Jewel of our entire trip. Dad and I have dreamed of this since I was in high school. This is where things get a bit tricky. The earliest the GCNP will allow camp reservations in the park is four months in advance, and if you don’t reserve that far ahead you simply will not get a reservation. Additionally, you cannot stay a night in the park without a camp permit, particularly with horses. The regulations regarding horse travel in the park are quite reasonable and they are strictly enforced. Horses must have been fed weed-free feed for two weeks before entering the park, they must have a current negative Coggins test (one year), and a current health certification within 30 days from a veterinarian. One must also have a reservation for one of the two horse camps within the canyon itself in order to be able to stay overnight in the canyon.

Additional regulations include travel hours on the trails. From the South Rim, private individuals with their own stock must depart no earlier than 1:30pm, to avoid conflict with the outfitters coming out of the canyon with their mule strings in the morning. Heading up the north side, private individuals must depart no earlier than 10:30am. The mileage from the South Rim to the Phantom Ranch at the bottom is 7.4 miles, and from there to the north rim is another 14 miles. Due to the late departure from the South Rim, it will be necessary (a happy necessity, I might add) that we stay one night in the canyon. We hope to be able to secure a reservation at the horse camp at Phantom Ranch.

Once out of the canyon, it is another 12.6 miles to the GCNP northern border. Add that to the 14 miles from Phantom Ranch to the North Rim and it is pretty likely we will be staying another night in camp somewhere before we arrive at the park border, requiring another camping permit reservation.

In talking with the park rangers last spring, I found them to be very helpful, in fact, surprisingly so, with regard to our plans to cross the Grand Canyon on our own horses. They suggested that I make a reservation to camp at the Mather Camp Ground on the South Rim for a week, which would give us some leeway on our arrival date. We will be traveling by horse for about 370 miles and trying to hit a particular date on our arrival at the GCNP. That’s like hitting a full-court shot at the end of a basketball game. If we are unable to secure the camp reservations we need or if we are delayed and can’t make the date of our reservation, they were fairly confident they would be able to fit us in at some point while we waited in camp at Mather. As things turned out this year, we decided against going on after the first leg of the trip. For the second leg, this coming year, I will try to get reservations for one night at Phantom Ranch and another night up on the north side somewhere. I will reserve a site at Mather Camp Ground, which has hookups, bathrooms, etc, on the South Rim for a week in advance of the primitive camp reservations. If things work out well, we will have a few days of rest for us and the horses before tackling the Grand Canyon.

2013-04-29_13-28-33_320Once we leave the GCNP, we will continue on the Arizona Trail another 66.4 miles to the Utah Border. At that point we join the Great Western Trail. The GWT is a network of multi-use trails on government land (Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service, and state lands) that stretches the rest of the way from Utah to Canada. It is not well documented and there is no private association that helps maintain the trail system, other than volunteer organizations, such as the Back Country Horsemen of America, which has several chapters in Utah. At this point we are again back to our own reckoning as to the trails we will take and the mileage from point to point.

Our route from the Utah Border will take us northward up Paria Creek to the mouth of Willis Creek. We will follow Willis westward up Willis Creek Canyon, toward Bryce Canyon National Park. Our plan is to join the Grandview Trail below (east of ) Bryce and follow it around the southern end of the Paunsaugunt Plateau, then back northward to Red Canyon. If time allows, we will take a day to ride Bryce Canyon, as well as Casto Canyon and Losee Canyon on the west side of the plateau. By this time we will have joined Casto Road, which is a dirt road that leads right on into Panguitch. Estimated mileage from the Utah Border along this route to Panguitch is 88 miles.

The total mileage, Eagar to Panguitch, as close as I can figure, is about 560 miles. For insurance, I added a fudge factor of 25% to the miles that are not exactly documented by the AZT Association. That brings the mileage, on the long side, to about 620 miles.

During the first leg of our trip we learned a few things that are helping us on our planning for this leg. Foremost, we learned we can plan on an average of 15 miles per day. Some days are better, but some days are worse. When we did our original planning, we figured we would be making 20-25 miles per day after the first week of breaking the horses and ourselves in to the trail. Not so. We had also planned for two rest days per week. As it turned out, we rested only one day per week, trying to make our time schedule, because we found we were averaging only about 15 miles per day. This year we will plan for 15 miles per day and two rest days per week. With that in mind, our total travel time should be between 41 and 43 days, barring any long delays or mishaps. Traveling five days per week, that makes it between eight and nine weeks total travel time.

Scheduling all that out on a timeline, with us arriving at Panguitch on or about July 20, has us arriving at the Grand Canyon on or about June 29. That, in turn has us departing Eagar, Arizona, to embark on this momentous journey, on Monday, May 23, 2016.

That just happens to be the date of Dad’s 82nd birthday.

Happy Birthday, Dad.

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Time to get things rolling again…

It’s been since June that I last posted on the blog. No real excuse. I’ve been pretty busy, working off the debt I incurred on the first leg of the trip. I’ve been working more than I anticipated, which I guess is good, but it has turned my focus and energies away from horses and pack trips for the past several months. This afternoon I decided it was time to get going again and get things planned and preparations started. So, this afternoon I spent some time going over the proposed route from Eagar, Arizona to Panguitch, Utah.

Last spring, Dad and I departed the US/Mexico Border, about 20 miles east of Douglas, Arizona, and headed north on April 11, 2015. We spent 28 days making our own route, following ranch roads, county roads, highways, and overgrown and unmaintained mountain trails, on our way northward to Eagar, Arizona, where my parents reside. According to my DeLorme Explorer GPS unit, we made 355 miles on that leg.

We had intended to go on with the second leg of the trip, from Eagar, through the Grand Canyon, and on to Panguitch, Utah, after a short rest and resupply there at Eagar, but by the time we got there we knew we were done. We learned a lot about ourselves, our gear, and our horses on that first leg and we knew we had to make some adjustments before we started the second leg. Wisdom dictated that we stop for the year and start again next spring.

This leg of the trip will start at Dad’s place in Eagar. We will make our way to Show Low, Arizona, about 50 miles west, via US Route 60. The highway is a very direct route and it will help us avoid fences. The right-of-way is quite wide and traffic is fairly light most of the time. There is grass along the highway, whereas it’s tough to find otherwise, so it will help us supplement the horses’ feed. Additionally, we’ll need some logistical help along this route, due to the scarcity of pasture and water, so it will be pretty easy to find us and get supplies to us, making it easier on our help.

I expect we’ll make our way right down the main drag in Show Low, from one end of town to the other. On the west side of town, we’ll continue following US 60 south until we hit the Mogollon Rim Road. We’ll follow that westward, following the Mogollon Rim for about another 130 miles, until we reach the Arizona Trail.  That marks the last of our own navigation until we reach the Utah border.

From there, the Arizona Trail is very well documented. The AZT website, of which I am a contributing member, offers all the information one could hope for, including GPS verified mileage, waypoints, water sources, elevations, and even trail stewards, whose names and contact information are posted in connection to their respective trail sections. So, all the guess work is done from there to the Utah Border. Another 220.5 miles will bring us to the border of the Grand Canyon National Park.

Crossing through the Grand Canyon is the “crown jewel” of this trip. This is something Dad and I have dreamed about since we first started talking about it, over 40 years ago. Since the mileage works out to 34 miles from border to border of the park, and since there are camping and horse use restrictions in the park to deal with, there are timing and logistical details that still need to be worked out. We will definitely need to stay a night in the canyon, and possibly one other night in the park. Besides, how could we possibly pass up the opportunity of staying at least one night with our horses in the Grand Canyon?  I look very much forward to that.

When I planned for this portion of the trip last year, I found the Park Service people to be very helpful and pleasant to deal with. I was actually surprised at how helpful they were. Their suggestions resulted in my reserving a space at the Mather Campground, where there are horse facilities, for a week. Since I was unable to reserve a campsite in the canyon, they suggested I take the Mather Campground space and simply wait. They were fairly confident a cancellation would occur, allowing them to find us a campsite for ourselves and our horses within that week’s time. Well, it all came to naught last spring, so I had to cancel my campsite reservation.

This year, I will have a better idea of when we should arrive at the park, so I will be able to make reservations with a reasonable chance of making it on time. I plan to make the campsite reservation at Mather Campground for about the time we should arrive and a week after, making the campsite reservations in the bottom of the canyon, hopefully at phantom Ranch, for the end of that week. Thus giving us and the horses a few days of rest before we head down the trail into the canyon. I’ll be making those reservations next month, as they don’t accept the applications more than four months in advance.

Once we reach the northern border of the Grand Canyon National park, we will have another 66.4 miles to the Utah border.

From that point, we will be back on our own navigation. We plan to head north into Paria Canyon, following the river northward to Willis Creek, just south of Cannonvile. We will take Willis Creek westward toward Bryce Canyon National Park, until we join with the Grandview Trail. This trail will take us around the southern end of the Paunsaugunt Plateau, where we will join Casto Road near Red Canyon on the west side of the plateau. From there we will follow Casto Road on into Panguitch, where we will end our ride for the year.

According to my calculations, the entire second leg of the trip will comprise approximately 570 miles. Adding a fudge-factor of 25%, I come up with 712 miles, so that will be our high estimate. However, since the Arizona Trail portion makes up about 320 miles of the trip, no fudge factor is needed for those miles.  A closer estimate would be about 631 miles, with the fudge-factor being applied only to the non-AZT portions of the trail.

If we travel at the average rate of 15 miles per day, that makes about 42 travel days. If we take two rest days per week, like we originally planned (but didn’t do), that makes about 8-1/2 weeks of total travel time. We are likely to spend a few days at resupply places here and there, and maybe a week at Mather Campground in the Grand Canyon, I think we can conservatively figure on the trip taking us about ten weeks.

For some reason, I couldn’t get any images to upload. Looks like I’m going to need some more work done on the website. I’ll get some pictures up soon.

Next post, I’ll discuss some of the adjustments we will need to make for this leg of our Mexico-to-Canada horse pack trip.

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The First Leg is Complete

It took us longer than we planned, and my estimated mileage was slightly off, but the first leg of our Mexico-to-Canada horse pack trip is complete.

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We departed Eagar, Arizona on Friday, April 10, with the help of family and friends who drove trucks and hauled trailers stuffed with horses and gear. We arrived at our designated starting point just before dark that evening. Dad and I stayed with the horses and my four-horse trailer for the night. One of our drivers headed home, while the others, my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew, got a room in Douglas. They returned the following morning to help us get packed up and started and to haul my truck and trailer back to Eagar.

The following morning, Saturday, April 11, Dad and I arose about sunup and began by feeding the horses and getting our gear out of the trailer and getting it sorted for packing. A couple of US Border Patrol Agents stopped by to visit. They had their horses an we invited them to ride with us a ways. They accepted the invitation, but before we were ready to start making tracks, they got called away to monitor a group of Mexican citizens that appeared to be preparing to illegally cross the border.

We started at the US/Mexico border about 18 miles east of Douglas, Arizona, near where Silver Creek crosses the border. It also happens to be where the monument to the Mormon Battalion stands.

Departure at the Monument for the Mormon Battalion
Departure at the Monument for the Mormon Battalion

For those who don’t know the history of the Mormon Battalion, during the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), the whole membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as Mormons, were making their exodus from Missouri and points east to the Salt Lake Valley, which was then in Mexican territory. Certain individuals in the US Government feared the Mormons were fleeing the United States, due to the persecution they had experienced in Missouri and the lack of any help or redress from the US Government, and that they would become Mexican citizens and fight against the US. The US Government sent forces to stop the Mormons from leaving the US, but once they actually met with representatives of the church, their fears were assuaged. Brigham Young called for volunteers to join the US forces to help fight against Mexico and drive them from the territories later claimed by the US, including most of the current southwestern United States. More than 500 volunteers joined what became known as the Mormon Battalion, leaving their families and friends to make their way west, trusting to the Lord and the other members of the church to care for them.

The Mormon Battalion trekked from Council Bluffs, Iowa to San Diego, California without a single hostile engagement, as Mexican forces fled southward. The battalion raised the first American flag over Tucson, Arizona, opened a southern route for future wagon trains bringing immigrants to New Mexico, Arizona, and California, and was instrumental in the settlement of much of the southwest of the United States of America. Former members of the Mormon Battalion were among the first discoverers of gold in California, which initiated the famous California gold rush.

There are several monuments in the southwest to the Mormon Battalion, and being Mormons ourselves, we felt fortunate to have started our trek at one of these historic sites.

I will mention here our gratitude to the US Border Patrol out of Douglas and Safford, for their assistance in getting permission from several ranchers for us to cross their range. Their help in selecting routes, obtaining permissions, and even guiding us through the Chiricahua Mountains was invaluable to us and to the success of our endeavor. During the first several days of our trip we were visited by their officers several times and were always provided with good information and help for our trip. They also kept us posted on any groups of illegal aliens and suspected drug traffickers they were monitoring, and helped us select routes that kept us out of harm’s way. I will provide more detailed information about their help in future posts.

Our route took us north from the US/Mex border, following Silver Creek to the Bar-M Ranch, where we turned more northeast, crossing US Highway 80 just west of Boss Ranch Road. We followed Boss Ranch Road, crossing Boss Ranch by permission of the owner, making camp in Half Moon Valley. From there we tracked northeastward, up past High Lonesome Spring to Texas Canyon Road. We followed Texas Canyon Road to Rucker Canyon Road ,which we followed northeast to North Fork.

Heading up North Fork Trail in the Chiricahuas
Heading up North Fork Trail in the Chiricahuas

At North Fork we met with Joshua Jensen and Al Smith, who acted as our guides through the roughest part of the Chiricahuas and rode with us for three days. They took us up North Fork to the USFS lookout tower on Monte Vista Peak, then across the Crest Trail, and finally into Whitetail Canyon, through which we departed the Chiricahua Mountains. Both Josh and Al left us at Whitetail Canyon and Dad and I made our way northward to San Simon, where we crossed Interstate 10, passing underneath it traveling along San Simon Wash. We followed San Simon Wash northward toward Safford, until we had to leave it to find water for our horses. We ended up on a ranch road which took us past stock watering wells spaced about five miles, or so, apart and which led generally in the direction we needed to go. Thanks to Ron Mahan, of San Simon, for his help in selecting a favorable route through that dry desert area.

Nearing Safford, Az
Nearing Safford, Az

We made Safford on Thursday, April 23, which was about 3 days or so behind our planned schedule. We stopped at Joshua Jensen’s place, which he and his wife were gracious enough to allow us to use as a rest stop and re-supply station. While there we had Al Smith shoe our mule. Josh allowed us to use his pickup, so we headed into town for supplies. We also used the assistance of Al Smith to scout a suitable and safe route northward from Safford. With his help, as well as advice from the local Bureau of Land Management agents at the Safford office, we decided to avoid the problems and dangers of following the Gila and San Francisco Rivers, both of which are known to be choked with willows and are notoriously dangerous for livestock, due to quicksands. We determined to take a route that passed south of the Gila, skirting the Gila Box, passing south of Clifton by way of a power line service road and connecting with the Black Hills Scenic Byway. We crossed Highway 191 south of Clifton, then passed through Verde Lee and Loma Linda, finally hitting Rattlesnake Road, which took us into the mountains east of Clifton.

Rattlesnake Road eventually gave way to a USFS road which led up Rattlesnake Canyon to Rattlesnake Gap. This trail was, without any doubt, the steepest climb and roughest mile I have ever taken a horse over. It is one heck of a trail. Once over the top, though, it was a nice ride. I’ll detail that one later as well. I took a bit of video footage of it.

From Rattlesnake Gap, we followed the two-track ranch road, designated as USFS #215, I believe, which joined USFS #212 about 16 miles later, near Martinez Ranch, on the San Francisco River. We then followed the San Francisco west about two miles to the confluence of it and the Blue River, where we turned north to follow the Blue. The topo map showed that the canyon walls of the Blue, for the first two miles were pretty near sheer and quite narrow and that there would be no leaving the river bottom in that space. Not wanting to get trapped in a river bottom choked with willows, we took an old ranch trail out of the bottom up onto Sunflower Mesa. This turned out to be quite fortuitous, as we ended up finding a cowboy camp with a running spring, corral, and even a tent at Pat Corral on Pat Mesa. As it was Friday evening, the hands apparently had gone into town for the weekend. We spent a very comfortable camp night there. We left them a note, thanking them for the use of their camp. They responded through facebook, inviting us back for a visit. I hope we can make it one day. Thanks, Ruth Brockman and the crew from the Turkey Creek Ranch.

The following day we continued north on Pat Mesa, until we reached Pigeon Creek. There we were trying to make a choice whether to continue on the two-track we were following, which was rough and steep, or to go down Pigeon Creek to the Blue and follow the Blue up to Juan Miller Road. The route through the Blue would save us up to four miles, while the road was more sure. We decided to take the sure route and stick with the road.

As we came up out of Pigeon Creek, we met a hiker. As we talked, suddenly the both of us realized we had been in communication nearly 18 months earlier, through the Internet, about routes through this area. Brett Tucker owns the Grand Enchantment Trail website. He is a long-distance hiker who has documented a number of foot trails in New Mexico and Arizona. What a serendipitous coincidence that we would meet on this trail at this point. After talking a few minutes, Brett convinced us to head back down Pigeon Creek to the Blue and follow the Blue on up to Juan Miller Road. We did that, and soon found ourselves starting the most spectacular part of our ride. Thanks again, Brett.

IMG_1299The ride up the Blue was not an easy trail, because we were essentially making our own trail as we went. We found the occasional cow trail, but for the most part we were making our own way. However, surprisingly, the river bottom was neither choked, nor narrow. We had to do very little “brush-busting” to make our way through and the mile-and-a-bit to Juan Miller Road melted away pretty quickly.

Once we hit Juan Miller Road, the only east-west thoroughfare through this part of Arizona, we headed west to hit a four-wheel-drive-only two-track that follows the hills above the Blue northward for about three miles or so, to the Fritz Ranch, an abandoned historic ranch now owned by the USFS. From there we joined Blue Trail #101, which, if it actually existed, would have been a nice ride. However, the trail has not been maintained in many years and following it was impossible most of the time. It was more like following cow trails, and, in fact, probably was exactly that. Again, the river bottom was wide and we had to do little brush-busting. The trail was a little rough on the horses, due to having to follow the river bed at times, where the river rocks made footing uneven and tricky, but at least it was rather level.

About a half mile up the Blue from Fritz Ranch, we made camp Saturday evening and there we stayed for our Sunday rest. It was a nice camp, plenty of grass for the horses, and good water for us as well. We learned to cherish our Sunday rests. They were very important, not only for ourselves, but especially for our stock.

The following Monday we continued up the Blue, enjoying some spectacular scenery along the way. We made 26 miles that day and reached our rest station at the cabin of Dick and Jean Goodman, near the old Blue Post Office, long after dark. Dick and Jean treated us to some excellent rest and even better food. Dick made arrangements for our horses in the corrals of a neighbor. We rested again on Tuesday, which was sorely needed after the previous day’s ride.

Coming out of the Blue on Red Hills Road
Coming out of the Blue on Red Hills Road

On Wednesday we headed north again, on the Red Hills Road. We contemplated taking the Red Hills Trail, but after the Wallow Fire a few short years ago, the best information we had indicated the trails from the Blue to the top were un pretty poor condition, and we didn’t want to have to spend time hacking our way to the top, about 4,500 feet above the river bottom.

We reached the top in the late afternoon and made camp near a set of corrals just south of Beaverhead on highway 191. A friend had left us a bale of hay at the corrals, which was a welcome supplement to our horse feed, after such a hard climb. Thanks Jimmy Joy.

This was one of the nicest camps we made during the trip and we celebrated with a campfire, one of three we made during the entire trip (all our cooking was done on a single-burner propane stove). Our elevation was about 8,500 feet, as I recall. The following morning I was treated to watch about 8 elk pass calmly through the woods near our camp.

Camp at the corrals on Highway 191
Camp at the corrals on Highway 191

From that camp, we followed USFS #26 Road for about 10 miles, where it dead-ended into #24 Road. We followed #24 north to #25J, where we took that road as a means of getting off #24, which is one of the main roads through the White Mountains of Arizona. We found a nice camp with a spring near by for the horses. The night was cold at over 9,000 feet, and we got rained on during the night. In the morning there was ice on our tarps. Still it was one of the nicest camps of our trip, meriting a campfire for the evening rest.

Out on top, White Mountains
Out on top, White Mountains

The following day we made the remaining 22.5 miles into Eagar, arriving in the early evening before dark. We had pushed hard during the day, to outrun the weather moving in. We heard thunder and had a bit of snow fall on us. At over 9,000 feet elevation, cold weather is nothing to mess with. Our horses were tired as we made our way down into Eagar. We turned them loose in my 20 acre pasture for a well-deserved rest and headed to my parents’ home.

The first leg of the trip was over. By my GPS we traveled 355.2 miles. It took us 28 days – four weeks to the day.

Now for decision time.

This first leg of our Mexico-to-Canada pack trip was designed to be a “shake-out” for us. Our plan was to take our rest here in Eagar, evaluate ourselves, our horses, and our gear, then make decisions and adjustments for the rest of the trip. We hoped to continue our trip after a few days’ rest.

We learned a lot during this first 355 miles. We learned that we had grossly overestimated our travel miles per day and underestimated the miles of our route. We now know that 15 miles per day is a realistic figure to plan on. As for our route going forward, much of our travel will be on the Arizona Trail, which is fully documented for mileage, somewhat maintained, and planned out, and the roughest part of our trip is now behind us. However, we are currently more than seven days behind our projected schedule, which means our plans for crossing the Grand Canyon are not going to work out. I’m going to have to cancel the reservations at Mather Campground and reschedule.

We learned that my traveling companion, Clancy, my Blue Heeler, simply cannot make the miles. He’s good for a day or two, but he simply cannot make multiple days of 15-20 miles. I ended up having to carry him on my horse several days, which caused sore backs on my Fox Trotters. We ended up sending him home with my mother from Dick’s place on the Blue. Clancy will have to miss out on the rest of the trip.

We learned that at least two of our horses are not the right horses for this kind of pack trip. The Quarter Horse mare I borowed got saddle sores right off and no matter how lightly we loaded her, we could not get her over them. She’s going to have some healing to do. My Fox Trotter mare, Lizzy, has a very fast walk and she loves to really move out, which I love, but her motion as she walks causes our pack saddle rigging to rub sores on her. Once her back got sore while she was under my riding saddle, we couldn’t even pack her lightly, because the pack saddle rigging would rub her raw in places. We sent the two mares to my pasture in Eagar from Dick’s place on the Blue. Thanks Kelly LeSueur, for coming to pick them up.

We learned that with four pack horses, there simply isn’t any way for us to break camp in the morning in less than 4 hours, costing us a lot of miles on the trail each day and a lot of extra work. While it was necessary for us to haul feed with us (we hauled up to 400 pounds of pelletized feed at a time) in the low desert areas of southern Arizona, once we got up into the higher latitudes and elevations, there was plenty of grass for the horses. We hope we can continue the trip with four horses, rather than six.

We had a couple of near disastrous wrecks during our trip, one of which eventually resulted in one of our best horses turning up with a limp the last 1/2 mile going into Eagar. Additionally, my two Fox Trotters have lost weight in their backs, which makes their already prominent spines contact the underside of my riding saddle, where the skirts are laced together under the cantle. They both currently have sore backs. The two animals who have come through entirely unscathed are my mustang, Jimbo, and the mule, Honey. Both have trimmed down and look like true athletes, solid and strong. These two are the only animals ready to start the second leg of our trip at this time.

As for ourselves, Dad and I both feel healthier, if a bit tired, now, than when we started. Both of us lost quite a bit of weight, and our muscles have begun to “leg-up” and become stronger. We have come through this with no injuries, no rubs, no health problems of any kind. Just tired. Nothing a rest won’t cure. You might recall that I am 56 years of age and Dad turns 81 in about 12 days. I am amazed at Dad’s condition and resilience. He says he’ll be ready for the second leg of the trip next year.

Lastly, this trip has cost me nearly $20,000 so far. Help and sponsorships I was hoping for didn’t come through. I am simply out of money.

All of the above factors, and others yet unmentioned, have brought us to the decision to stop here at Eagar, Arizona for this year and continue the trip next year.

This will allow us to make the necessary adjustments we have identified, such as acquiring a couple of horses that will be better suited for the trip, making a few minor changes in our gear, make better plans and reservations for crossing the Grand Canyon, and allow me to go back to work to pay off money I have borrowed for this trip as well as to put together a money reserve for next year’s trip. I have already purchased most of the gear we will need, so the funds required will be quite a bit less than for this leg of the trip, but I may still need to look for another horse or two. This is the wise course for us. This is what we need to do if we want to eventually complete this trek from Mexico to Canada.

Our thanks go out to all who have supported us, particularly those who have actually put out their time, efforts, and money to help us. We are grateful for all the prayers that have gone up in our behalf. We can say unequivocally that we received continual help from above, even miraculous help at times, and we thank the Lord for this.

I maintained a journal during the trip, so stay tuned for future posts with much more detailed information about our trip, out experiences, and reviews of the gear we used. I have a lot of video footage as well as a multitude of photographs, however the Internet connection at my parents’ home is somewhat slow. I may have to wait until I get home to Utah to get them uploaded.

What a trip! What an experience! Can’t wait for next year! The hardest part of the trip is now done.

Uncategorized

Getting Ready…

To catch up on the developments of the past several days, this will be sort of a catch-all post. Few pictures on this post, but I’ll get more up soon.

This past week has been a very full one. I finished all the projects I have been working on, made the last of my gear purchases for the trip and got to working on a pair of chaps for myself (I sold both sets I made earlier, as well as third set I made for the same customer) and got everything all packed up and loaded into the trailer.

I had planned on heading for Arizona on April 1st (appropriate, considering the undertaking at hand), but with all I had to get done in the last several days, I decided that I could really use one more day. I decided to leave on Thursday, April 2nd.

I got up bight-eyed and bushy-tailed (more or less) at 5:00 am on Thursday. My good wife made breakfast for me while I got the last of my gear in the trailer and went over my lists one more time. A friend came over to assist me in getting the horses loaded, so I could waste as little time as possible in that endeavor. We arrived at the place where my horses are boarded about 6:00 am.

Amazingly, the horses met us at the gate and offered not even the slightest difficulty in catching them up and loading into the trailer in the dark. I was on the road at 6:15 am.

The truck and trailer both functioned as expected and the trip went well. The horses traveled very calmly and made no trouble for me or each other. However, as I entered Arizona, the winds picked up and the farther south I traveled, the stronger they got. By the time I got to Chinle, Arizona, I was bucking about a 30 mile per hour side-wind. At least it wasn’t a headwind. I was pleased that my truck and trailer handled the winds very well, although my fuel mileage suffered. Since I was passing through the town, I stopped in Chinle to see an old friend I hadn’t seen in 38 years. It was a nice visit. I decided not to let the horses out of the trailer, because I was afraid that after several hours in the trailer, I wouldn’t be able to get them back in without assistance. I’m sure my short stop in Chinle gave them a bit of a rest.

A couple hours further along, just south of Sanders, Arizona, I heard what sounded like a shotgun blast and knew immediately it was a tire blowout. One glance in the side mirror told me the left-rear tire on my trailer had exploded. This was the second blowout on the trailer in less than 500 miles, which, incidentally, was a blessing in disguise, I suppose. Due to the previous blowout I was imminently prepared and had the tire changed in less than 10 minutes. However, it was a clear sign that even though my tires appeared to be almost new – almost no tread wear – they were past their safe useful age. As I got back on the road I called my nephew, who has an auto shop in Eagar, and ordered four new 10-ply trailer tires. They’ll be installed on Monday. Another unexpected, but necessary, expense.

I arrived in Eagar about 5:45 pm. Even though the horses had been in the trailer for almost 12 hours, they were still riding quietly. I pulled into my 20 acre parcel in Eagar and let them out of the trailer. I tied them up to the trailer to let them settle down a bit, brushed them, and fed them a little, then released them. They really enjoyed the freedom offered by 20 acres in which to run. They all took off at at gallop to explore the place. I enjoyed watching them go.

My four horses getting acquainted in Eagar after a 12 hour trailer ride
My four horses getting acquainted in Eagar after a 12 hour trailer ride

Dad had our new mustang corralled there, so I took a good look at him. He’s about 15 hands and stoutly built. Not the prettiest animal, but just what we need on this trip. He’s a mite skittish, so I’ve been working a bit on getting him used to being handled. The story behind him is that he is a 7 year old mustang gelding that was “cowboy broke” and acquired by a fellow here in Eagar. The horse was hard to catch and the fellow got tired of having to rope him in a corral every time he wanted to ride him. So, when he heard about our endeavor, he gladly donated him to the cause. Dad got a Bill of Sale for him in my name, got his Coggins test and vaccinations, had him shod, and so he’s added to the remuda. He’s called “Jimbo.” I’ve been working with him the last day or so, getting him settled down. We’re up to him letting me catch and halter him….as long as I have a bucket of grain in my hand. That’s progress enough for two days.

Yesterday I finished my new batwing chaps. I don’t plan to sell this pair. You might recall that I made a pair of chinks, a pair of batwings, and a pair of Arizona Shotguns, to see which I wanted to take on this trip. I had selected the Arizona Shotguns and so I gave the chinks to my dad as a birthday present last year. I decided to sell the batwings, so I advertised them for sale. A fellow responded and liked them, so he bought them and asked if I had any more for sale. I mentioned the shotguns and he wanted to see them. Long and short is that he bought them as well, then ordered another pair of batwings. It was nice to have the unexpected extra money for the trip kitty. I used some of it to buy leather for another pair of batwings – for me this time.

Riding in the Telephone Road area southwest of Eagar, AZ
Riding in the Telephone Road area southwest of Eagar, AZ

We also took a short ride yesterday. My brother-in-law took us up to a place known as Telephone Road, where we rode for just short of five miles. It was a pleasant ride. It gave me a chance to try Ranger on a snaffle bit, since I don’t want to ride him in a bosal for the pack trip. He did well.

I also used the ride for a test of the new function on westerntrailrider.com that allows my followers to view a real-time map that will show our location and progress on the trip. It worked like a charm. I was exceptionally pleased when I got back to my folks’ place to find a map of our recent trip on the website. Just click on the “Trail Map” button on the menu.

Today, Dad and I finished the fence on the property in Eagar. We stretched the last of the four barbed-wire strands, did all the wire ties, then installed the wire stays. It is a good-looking fence. I missed a real opportunity to get a good picture of my Dad building fence at 81 years old. I’m grateful to him and my mom (who held posts for him) for building the fence. The parcel makes the perfect place for all our horses to become acquainted and work out their pecking order before we actually start the trip.

Our farrier also showed up today and shoed all five of the horses, but we decided to leave the mule barefoot.

This evening I made arrangements to meet with a US Border Patrol Agent (I need to get permission to disclose his name), who will be riding with us for several days as we pass through the Chiricahua Mountains. He’s part of their mounted patrol and is very familiar with the trails in that area. I have no doubt he’ll prove to be a valuable friend and guide for us while he’s with us.

On Monday Dad and I will take a drive down to southeastern Arizona to take a closer look at some of the areas through which we’ll be riding next week. While we’re in the area, we plan to visit the USFS offices in Clifton and Douglas to see what intelligence on the trails we can gather. We will also visit the Douglas USBP office to let them know our plans and get advice on routes and water sources in that area. Should be a very full day.

We’re having a tough time picking out a route between Safford, Arizona and the upper Eagle Creek area.  The maps don’t show any designated trails that connect those areas. We’re pretty sure there are trails, but if they’re not on maps, we can’t find them or know where they lead if we trip onto them. If we don’t get further information from a reliable source, we may have to change our route slightly and follow the Gila River to the San Francisco River, then follow it to the Blue River and trail north up the Blue until we get to familiar areas, where we’ve packed before.  If any reader is familiar with the area between Safford/Morenci and the upper Eagle Creek area, we’d love to hear from you – tony.henrie@westerntrailrider.com.

Several unexpected expenses have blown up my trip budget, so my funding has become very tight. We are concerned about being able to handle further unexpected expenses on the trail, such as extra feed (should there be less grass than expected), fuel for our drivers, vet care for emergencies, etc. I have started a GoFundMe account to try to raise a little buffer money. If  you would like to contribute, here’ s the link: www.gofundme.com/westerntrailrider .

Tomorrow is a “Day of Rest”.

Happy Easter, and may we all remember that it’s not about the Easter Bunny.

Uncategorized

Western Trail Rider is back up and running!

Thank you Andrew and Jan at Fifth Mission Marketing, Provo, Utah, for getting westerntrailrider.com back up and running!

As many of you know, my website has been only partially functional for quite some time now. After several updates by Word Press, phpbb3, and Coppermine, the three programs pretty much stopped talking to each other. Additionally, the forum suffered a brute-force spam attack in December, after which I shut down the forum, comments, and other functions. I had to manually delete over 5,000 spam members and comments. After that I attempted to update the site and get if functioning properly again, but simply made matters worse. I ended up losing the ability to administer the forum at all and thought I had lost the content we had accumulated on there over the past two years.  I finally gave up and decided to hire a company to get things working again. I’m glad I did.

One day before I head south to begin the big Mexico-to-Canada pack trip, the westerntrailrider.com is finally back up and running. All the prior data has been restored, and everything is functioning.

We have added a new item on the menu. Anyone who would like to may click on the “Trail Map” button and see a real-time map of our progress on the first two legs of the trip. We’re still tweaking a couple of details, but this has me very excited.

So, if you are a long-time member who has been waiting patiently for me to get things fixed, thank you for your patience and please come back and participate in the forums. Post your favorite pictures of your trail rides on your own gallery album.  If you are a new member, or someone just looking, come join in the fun.

For those who regularly ride trails in the western US, who enjoy documenting their trail rides, please join us and start a blog under the Western Trail Rider banner. I’ll also provide you with a WTR email address for your blog.

My goal for Western Trail Rider is, and always has been, to make this website the place to come to for information on equine-use trails, particularly for horse and mule packing, in the western United States. While every state and national park has its own website, for the lesser known trails on public lands, there is very little documentation and information about them is hard to come by. Many of those trails are disappearing, due to lack of use. Many trails that have existed for more than a century are no longer passable for horses, many can no longer be found at all. This website is dedicated to preserving such trails for future generations. I invite everyone who feels the same to come, join in, and help.

Now, having gotten the website working again, and issued the above invitation, don’t forget that I will be on a 1,000 mile pack trip (the first two legs of our Mexico-to-Canada pack trip) for about the next couple months. I expect to be back to the real world around the end of June. I probably won’t be posting much on my blog for a while.

Then again, the big ride was the whole impetus behind Western Trail Rider in the first place.

Excellent!

Saddlery, Uncategorized

Picked up a couple “new” used saddles today…

This afternoon I picked up two saddles, a bridle with a good D-ring snaffle, an old, but good saddle pad, and a rifle scabbard, for $380.

Two saddles for the price of one.
Two saddles for the price of one.

I have been looking for a saddle to take on the big ride, because it doesn’t look like I’ll get the repairs to my Hamley finished in time. I have been shopping for good used saddles, because I don’t want a squeeky-new saddle to break in on the trail. Not only that, since I am operating on somewhat of a budget, I can buy a very good used saddle, even if it’s a little beat-up, for less than I can buy a very poor new saddle, not to mention a good one. I had already called on a couple saddles advertised for sale in the northern Utah area, that were priced in the $650-850 range, and was tempted on a couple in the $1100-1500 range. The problem I always ran into was that they were either Full-Quarter Horse bar saddles, or Regular-Quarter Horse saddles, both of which would be too wide for my high-withered, narrow backed fox trotters. I needed a saddle with a gullet width of about 6″ and a fairly tall gullet.

When I came across an ad for two saddles for $400, under 100 miles away, I took a closer look. Although the ad didn’t give many specifics, other than that one was old and one was in good condition, and that they were 15″ seats, one photograph showed the gullets of both saddles, and I could see right away that they were not the usual QH bar saddles. I called on them and the seller agreed to meet me halfway, up on Soldier Summit.

When I arrived at the designated meeting place, I was met by a man in his seventies, who greeted me with a smile. He opened his camper shell window and tailgate and slid the saddles back to where I could take a look at them. He said he had kept them around for a long time, thinking he would buy another horse, but has finally conceded that he never will. So they were for sale.

The "newer" saddle
The “newer” saddle

I could see right off that the newer saddle was in very good condition. The only thing detracting from its value was a large “44” carved into the stirrup sweat leathers. This one was won by somebody at a show or rodeo. The leather was in great shape, as was the skirting and fleece.  I checked under the front jockey and was pleased to find a rawhide-covered wood tree bar. Recognizing that this saddle alone was worth pretty much what he was asking for the whole shootin’ match, I stopped inspecting this one and turned my attention to the older saddle.

This one is about 75 years old
This one is about 75 years old

This saddle was probably 75 years old and in need of some pretty extensive repair to the leather work. The seller apologetically showed me some rodent damage to the seat jockey and other parts that he hadn’t seen before he put them in his pickup. The mice have chewed a large part out of the lower part of the seat jockey, chewed off the corner of the right front jockey, chewed off the end of the cincha keeper, and chewed off a couple of saddle strings. There are scars on the pommel as well. Additionally, the leather straps all need to be changed out and the cantle binding was coming loose. However, this saddle, too, was built on a rawhide-covered wood tree that is very solid. The rawhide appears to be in very good shape. I Couldn’t find a maker’s mark, but it is a very well-made ranch/working saddle. It’s just in poor condition.

Newer fleece on the old saddle
Newer fleece on the old saddle

On the bright side, the seller had the skirting fleece replaced professionally a few years ago, so it’s in great shape. The seller said he was told it might be a Hamley, but I have a Hamley and I don’t believe this is one. I figured I could do the repair work to turn this back into a good riding saddle.

I inspected the bridle and found it has a usable pair of braided para-cord reins as well as a good egg-butt D-ring snaffle. The bridle needs oil, but is in good shape.

Bridle with snaffle bit, saddle pad, and rifle scabbard
Bridle with snaffle bit, saddle pad, and rifle scabbard

The saddle pad has some rodent damage in one place, but in fact it is still a good pad – wool blanket over a foam insert and wool-felt pad. The saddle scabbard is in rough shape and coming unstitched at the seams, but the leather is good and re-stitching it will take me an evening at most.

After looking the old saddle over and over, I offered the seller $350. He thought a few seconds and countered with $375. I smiled and told him I didn’t have a $5, so I’d give him $380 for bundle. He smiled again and we shook hands.

Old-fashioned Ox bow stirrups
Old-fashioned Ox bow stirrups

This evening, when I had a little time, I inspected both saddles a little closer. I had looked pretty well at the older saddle and learned nothing new this evening, except that the stirrup leathers are still in good condition and might be used on my Hamley saddle in a pinch. I also like the old-style tin-covered wood Ox-Bow stirrups. They are also in good, usable condition. The fleece has been replaced, but was done by a professional who did good work, but wasn’t too concerned about looks. He could have done a nicer job. This saddle needs a lot of work, but will be a good, solid saddle when I’m done. I’ll probably replace some leather and sell it to make back the purchase price of the deal.

Utahn Saddle Company maker's mark
Utahn Saddle Company maker’s mark

The newer saddle is in very good condition, made by the Utahn Saddle Company (I found the maker’s mark on the latigo keeper), that once billed itself as “The saddle maker’s saddle maker”. The company is gone now, but once was a good saddle maker out of Vernal, Utah. This saddle is a cutter, and has a broad set of swells, almost like a “form-fitter” tree, 4″ cantle, padded seat, wide Cheyeand wide, cutter-style covered stirrups.

Fleece on the newer saddle is in excellent shape
Fleece on the newer saddle is in excellent shape

The tree, as I mentioned, is rawhide-covered wood and is very solid and heavy. It came with a very nice mohair-blend cincha and a nice flank strap. The fleece is in excellent condition and is a thick, premium-style fleece. The leather is in very nice condition, but needs a little cleaning and oiling. This is a very solid and good saddle. I figure this saddle alone is worth about double what I paid for the whole bundle, even in its current condition.

Both saddles measure what would equate to “Semi-QH bars” and gullet width, so they will fit well on my fox trotters, with their tall withers and narrow backs.

Can’t wait to get the Utahn saddle on my horses. I think that’s the one I will be taking on my big pack trip.

It was a good day.

Tack and Gear, Uncategorized, Western Trails

Buying the Necessaries for the Big Trip – DeLorme InReach Explorer

Last week I made arrangements to take out a fairly large loan from savings (thank you dear Linda) for the purchase of supplies and gear for the coming pack trip. Time is getting short, so Dad and I are evaluating our gear, repairing what needs it, replacing what we can’t repair, and buying what we don’t have.

I recently went on one of my favorite supplier online stores and put nearly $4,500 worth of gear on my “Wish List”. We’ll see how much of that I actually order. I have to admit that some of what is on that list is “want-to-have” stuff, rather than “need-for-the-pack-trip” stuff.

Yesterday I drove up to American Fork, to the Cabela’s store and spent nearly $1,000. I bought several items that I consider to be necessaries for the trip. I’ll address each item in detail and give my first impressions of them. During the trip and after it is done I’ll post a test-report on each and my opinions about them.

Recently, a good friend of my father, Dick Goodman, who will be helping us with logistics, advised us to buy a satellite phone, so we could call out if we had an emergency.  The idea that we could keep folks posted on our whereabouts and call out in case of emergency is a thought that had crossed my mind, but sometimes it takes someone else’s suggestion to bring an idea into focus. You have to remember that Dad and I both grew up before the advent of electricity…er, I mean cell phone and GPS technology, and sometimes we forget about things like that in our planning.

So, I went shopping at Cabela’s in Lehi, Utah to see what was available.

What I found was a number of Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) units by a couple of makers, several models of “Spot” emergency locators (which a friend had recommended), one model of satellite telephone, and several models of GPS units by DeLorme. After looking over the various capabilities, features, and options of a number of units, I settled on the DeLorme InReach Explorer, priced at $379.99.

DeLorme InReach Explorer
DeLorme InReach Explorer

The DeLorme InReach Explorer is a GPS unit, utilizing the Iridium GPS system. It has all the functionality of a regular GPS handheld, but also allows two-way texting via satellite. Not only that, but it also uploads details to my personal and Western Trail Rider facebook pages, as well as to DeLorme’s Map Share application*, accessed through their website, so all my friends and relatives can track our progress.

2015-03-01 12.42.10The one thing that might appear to be an issue with this unit is the small screen size. Maps? Nope, too small. Howsoever, this unit will talk to my iphone 6 as well as Android phones, by use of the Earthmate app that can be found through the App Store or any Android app site. The unit talks to the phones via Bluetooth, so cell coverage isn’t necessary. So, I will get all the map information on my iphone 6 in all its glory. In fact, through the Earthmate app, I am downloading the high-resolution map sets I will need to my phone as I type this post.

The SOS button and lock
The SOS button and lock

Once the unit is fully charged, one must follow the explicit instructions in the user’s manual provided with the unit for initiating and setting it up. Not following the instructions in order can cause problems that otherwise would easily be avoided. The first thing to know is NOT TO DO ANYTHING WITHOUT FIRST READING THE MANUAL! The unit has an emergency beacon/call button/function that will send out an emergency call if inadvertently activated. The button has a lock associated with it, so it is quite safely secured, however, if you are like most people, particularly men like me, when they get a new toy they immediately start pushing buttons to see what they do. If you unlock the button and press it, you might get emergency vehicles and rescue helicopters arriving at your location. More on the SOS function later.

As I said, the first step is to ensure the unit is fully charged. While the unit is charging, become familiar with the various buttons and functionalities of the unit by reading the manual. While you’re at it, download the Earthmate app to your phone from the Apple App Store or your favorite Android site. Step two is to create your DeLorme InReach account online and select an airtime plan subscription.

DeLorme offers a variety of plans under two headings: Freedom Plans and Annual Plans. Both offer various options for functions and payments, with the Annual Plan options being significantly reduced in price.

The Annual option, meaning you subscribe to regular monthly service and subscription payments for a period of one year, requires an initial subscription premium of $19.95. The lowest priced plan, called the “Safety Plan” runs $11.95 per month and includes the bare minimum of functionality: Unlimited SOS, 10 texts, 10-minute tracking intervals, and tracking points and location pings at ten cents each. The highest plan runs $79.95 per month and includes unlimited SOS, texts, tracking points, and pings, and 2-minute tracking intervals.  One can change plans at anytime for a fee of $24.95.

The Freedom Plan means you can activate your coverage at any time for the month or months you require. This plan requires an initial subscription premium of $24.95. The monthly fees are slightly higher than those of the Annual Plan, but offer the same options for functionality. For instance, the low and high plans under the Freedom Plans run $14.95 and $99.95 per month, respectively, compared to $11.95 and $79.95 under the Annual Plans. However, one can change the coverage under the Freedom Plans without fee simply by selecting that plan when activating. Changing from the Freedom to the Annual plans subscription requires payment of a change fee of $24.95.

Screenshot 2015-03-01 16.48.48I selected the Recreation Plan under the Freedom Plans subscription for my trip. It offers unlimited SOS, 40 texts, 10-minuted tracking intervals, and unlimited tracking points and pings. After the first leg of our trip I will decide whether to upgrade to the Expedition Plan, which offers unlimited texts. The Recreation Plan runs $34.95 per month, while the Expedition Plan runs $64.95 per month.

The main menu
The main menu

After creating your account and activating a plan, and making payment via credit card, you can set up your options and add contacts, set up your preset messages and responses for texting, and set up your “sharing”. The menus on the unit are easily navigated by use of the small thumb pad, using the button with the check-mark as the “enter” button. The “X” button is the “back” and “stop” button. You can also access and control the unit on the phone through the Earthmate app, including activating the SOS function.

The third step in the initiation and setup process is to  go outside and make sure you have a broad and clear view of the sky. Turn the unit on, point the antenna in the air and  wait. When you set up the DeLorme account online, DeLorme sends out a welcome message as a test to make sure the connection has been made. You will see a little green light on the face, which indicates you have a message waiting. If the light turns red, you have an urgent message waiting. Please note that this little light only indicates messages waiting and does not indicate satellite coverage for the GPS function! You will respond to the welcome text with a simple response text, which tests your unit’s ability to send texts. This process may take up to 20 minutes to finalize, so be patient.

Once you are able to send your text response, the GPS unit has been initialized and is ready for use. You are then ready to complete the setup process by calibrating the altimeter and digital compass functions. You are also ready to make the Bluetooth connection with your phone and start setting up your personalized functions and options on your Earthmate app.

I had trouble getting my iphone and DeLorme Explorer unit talking to each other. I finally decided to try connecting the unit to my Apple Macbook Pro by USB cable (included) to see whether an update option would appear when it connected. It did! The update took several minutes to complete. I noticed that the “message waiting” light blinked red and green during the update. Do not unplug your unit from the computer or shut down your computer until the update is completed! Once the update completed, my unit connected right up to my iphone 6.

The menu on the Earthmate App on my iphone 6
The menu on the Earthmate App on my iphone 6

Calibrating the altimeter is not a one-time thing. Although it will always be approximately correct by just using the GPS as reference, it is a good idea to reset the altimeter at the beginning of or during an adventure by finding a point at which the elevation is certain, such as at a trailhead where elevations are often shown on trail signs, and using that elevation to set the unit. You may also set the function by using barometric pressure readings from a reliable source nearby, such as airport weather reporting.

The compass is calibrated by initiating that function through the settings menu. After selecting “Calibrate Compass” you simply move the compass in a figure-8 pattern, making sure the antenna moves through all directions in reference to the ground several times until you hear a beep, indicating the process is complete. As with the altimeter, it is a good idea to recalibrate the compass at the beginning of each new trip.

The SOS function is activated by sliding the “lock” switch on the face of the unit to the left, exposing a red line, indicating the function is now available. By then pressing the SOS button, the function is activated, sending out SOS messages to GEOS, the DeLorme monitoring center, which will then dispatch rescue services to your location. The SOS function can also be activated through the menu, by selecting the SOS icon, then pressing the “enter” button (the one with the check-mark), or by using the phone app and selecting the SOS function from the menu. Use this only in time of true emergency, as this will set in motion a very expensive bunch of fast-turning wheels.

A map on my iphone 6 via the Earthmate app
A map on my iphone 6 via the Earthmate app

As I look through the maps on my iphone 6, the resolution is sufficient that I can see excellent topographical detail, however at the magnification level needed to see marked trails, the viewable area of the map is quite small. I find it difficult to be able to see where a particular trail goes, as one would be able to do on a map, without simply following it on the touch screen. While one can gain greater perspective by zooming out, the dashed-line marking trails disappears after only two clicks out. A larger screen would alleviate the problem proportionate to the size of the screen, but this issue is not a problem with the Explorer, it’s simply the size of my phone display. I am pretty old-fashioned and still feel more comfortable with a paper map in my hands, however, for the Mexico-to-Canada pack trip I have planned, the maps alone, at 7.5 minute size covering the selected route, would number over 100 and would cost more than $700. Not having to buy and carry all those maps is a benefit one cannot ignore and one for which I can happily deal with the little inconvenience of a small screen on my phone. I should mention that I believe the screen on my iphone 6 is as large or larger than the screens I saw on all the GPS units offered at Cabela’s, including the venerable Garmin Montana.

My overall impression so far, not having actually used the unit yet, is that the DeLorme Explorer is exactly what I need, not only for the impending pack trip, but for all my packing adventures for years to come. I will be able to store the information from my trips, mileage, speed, elevation, etc., for my blog posts, keep my followers updated on my progress during the trips, call for help in emergencies, and make the trail information available for others to use.

Moreover, the peace of mind it will give my wife and my mother while Dad and I are out on this pack trip, knowing we can communicate with them and call out in case of emergency at anytime, from anywhere, via text and emergency beacon with this unit, and the fact that we can keep them posted on our progress via text and facebook posts, is well worth the $379.99 price tag and the subscription price.

This was a good score in my book. Thumbs up!

Now, you’re probably asking yourself how we intend to keep this handy little unit, as well as our cell phones, charged up.

Stay tuned.

* I will provide the link to my Map Share on a separate post once the trip is underway. The Map Share link is specific to each trip logged by the InReach Explorer unit.

Uncategorized

Finally, I’m a Horse Owner Again!

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My readers will recall that last summer I had to make the difficult decision to put down my mare Penny. She foundered and I just couldn’t get her over it. My efforts and mistakes are fully documented in other posts. At the time, I knew I would be moving my family from Virginia to somewhere out in the western U.S., so buying another horse was out of the question until after the move.

We arrived in Utah in late August, intending to purchase a place where we could keep several horses, and where we would also be close enough to our children and grandkids to be involved in their lives. As it turned out, we had to sacrifice the former for the latter. We ended up buying a home in Salem, Utah in a neighborhood on about 1/4 acre. I was lucky enough to find a place within a mile of the house where I could board a horse.

Once I found a place to board a horse or two, I next turned my attention to buying a horse trailer that would answer my needs and desires for my future horse-related activities. I was able to find a 1991 Logan Coach Competitor 4-horse slant-load trailer that was in rough condition cosmetically, but solid and sound. I was able to buy it at a price that fit within my budget.

Now to find the horse.

During October this year, I had the opportunity to do a 1/2 day trail ride up near Strawberry Reservoir in north-central Utah with Jon Tanner. Jon was mounted on his Missouri Fox Trotter, while I was mounted on a large, very nice Tennessee Walking Horse. I quickly discovered that a TWH’s gait is very smooth and covers ground quickly when on level ground or climbing, but when descending a grade, their gait can shake your teeth loose. Jon was kind enough to let me try his MFT for a 1/4 mile or so, through varying terrain on a mountain trail. I was amazed at how smooth his horse’s gait was and how fast it could move in that Foxtrot gait. Jon’s horse can cover ground at up to 12 miles per hour in the Foxtrot, while the rider sits in perfect comfort. I have been a Quarter Horse man most of my life, but in that one ride I was converted. My next horse was going to be a Foxtrotter.

I started shopping for a horse toward the end of November, after we were moved into our house and starting to settle in. I perused the classified ads for the area almost daily, but found few MFTs for sale that would fall within my parameters. I was looking for a horse from 14-15 hands, from about 4-10 years old, and the price had to be reasonable to me. I was seeing ads for horses in the $7,500 range, which was above my price range. There were several horses advertised in the $1,500-4,500 range, but they were generally older than 10 years old.

Additionally, I had decided that if I were going to pay a premium for a horse, I was going to buy a good-looking horse. I have always wanted a paint, so that was on my mind as well.

Finally, I identified four horses I wanted to look at. In price they ranged from $800 for a rescued horse to $4,500 for a 4 year-old paint. In distance from home they ranged from Salt Lake City to Logan, Utah, to Blackfoot, Idaho, a distance of over 250 miles from home. I decided to prioritize my list, placing the horses I considered the best prospects first.

The first horse I looked at was a 10 year-old palomino, located near Logan, Utah with an asking price of $3,000. After nearly a 3-hour drive to see it, I was disappointed to find that the photo used in the ad was two years old, and that since that time, the horse had been used as horse for clients at an eating disorders treatment center, but that it had seen little use for quite some time, because clients were complaining that the horse was skittish under saddle. So, the horse had seen little to no use in over 2 years. It was overweight, lacked training and discipline, and was in poor condition overall. Not only that, but the horse was kept in a corral with 7-8 other horses, so it was somewhat beat up from fighting with the other horses. When I saddled the horse it tensed up and arched its back, as if it were expecting pain. I rode the horse in an indoor arena and found it to be quite skittish, although it gaited both the flat walk and the foxtrot pretty well, but acted undisciplined and afraid. It was registered and had good blood lines (as far as I know). In the end, I offered $2,000 for the horse, but was refused.

The next horse I looked at was in Blackfoot, Idaho. He was a 7 year-old MFT tri-color paint, advertised at 15’2 hands. The ad said he hadn’t been used in more than two years and was not for a beginner, but had the personality to become a kid’s horse with some use and training. It also said that while the horse is gaited, he must be made to stay in gait, due to his lack of use and training. The asking price was $1,500. I called the owner to ask a few more questions. The sense I got was that the horse lacked training, but was sound in every way. That I could handle.

IMG_0570I decided that since Logan was about 1/3 of the way to Blackfoot, I might as well go on from there. I let the owner know about when I’d be there and asked if they had a saddle I could use to give the horse a test ride. She assured me he would be ready. When I arrived I found the horse tied in a round pen covered in sweat. The owner explained that the horse has a lot of energy and is a bit unruly under saddle, so she had run him around the round pen for a while to use up some of his excess energy. Of course, that was a warning to me.

I was surprised to find that he was a perfect gentleman under halter in the training ring. I walked him around and moved him this way and that way. He was very easy to handle and obeyed every command. I was impressed. When I mounted him, that’s when the fun started. I found the horse to be undisciplined, buddy sour, untrained, and disrespectful. However, he had no buck in him. After riding him for a minute or two in the training ring, I asked to go out into a pasture to see if I could get him to gait and get a better sense of his abilities and training. The owner was reluctant to let me go out of the round pen until I assured her I was capable of handling him. Once in the pasture I found he was quite buddy-sour. His main intent was to get back over to the next pasture to see his buddies. He would side-step, back, turn in circles, etc, but he never offered to buck or do anything I considered to be dangerous. In fact, I found that he was quite athletic in the way he moved. Though the pasture was damp in places, he never slipped or tripped. After about 5 minutes of working with him, I found that he quickly began to respect my abilities and began to obey me. That indicated to me that he would be easy to re-train. The last thing I wanted to do during my test ride was to get him to gait. I could not get him into a flat walk, because he wanted to trot all the time. I finally got him into a good foxtrot for about a hundred yards. That satisfied me that he could be trained to gait.

IMG_0569Conformation-wise, he stands about 15’3 hands, I estimate, has a deep chest and somewhat fine hind quarters, and short back, as is common with MFTs. He is built well, with fairly heavy bones in his legs and good hooves. He is a little “turkey-toed” in his front legs, meaning he is a bit toed-out, but not enough for me to be concerned. He will not be a show horse or a breeder. He lacks good muscling, due to not being used for two years, but it appears to me that he has a very good, stout frame and that with some work the muscle will fill out his frame very well.IMG_0617

The owner told me that the history of the horse was that he was registered, but that the previous owner had not provided the papers and had said he could not find them. She and I both agreed that a horse without papers is not registered and the price should reflect that. She had bought the horse for her husband to ride, but quickly found out that the horse was not well enough trained and was hard to handle for an inexperienced rider. So, the horse stood unused for more than two years before she made the decision to sell him.

The thing that attracted me most to the horse was the same thing that brought me to buy my mare Penny: The horse had a very personable way about him. He was not afraid of people and genuinely seemed to like being around and handled by people. He was not head-shy at all and seemed “interested” in what was going on around him. That is very important to me, as I do not enjoy riding a horse that has no desire to be out on the trail with me. I believe this horse will enjoy the trails as much as I will.

So, I overlooked the fact that he was untrained, that he is poorly conditioned, that his front feet are a bit “turkey-toed” (toed-out), and that he may not be registered, and offered $1,000 for him. We settled on that price with the provision that the owner would provide the Coggins test, A certificate of general health, and a brand inspector’s ownership transfer form. I would return to pick him up the following Friday.

Everything fell into place and I picked him up yesterday. We had a bit of trouble loading him into the trailer, but once in he settled down and the 4-hour trip back to Salem was uneventful.

During the drive home, my sister called me to ask whether I had been able to pick up the horse yet. I told her I was heading back home with him. We talked about our horses and other things for a while, when the topic of a name for my new horse came up. I told her his name was Ringo, but that I intended to change it, because every time I heard his name it brought to mind an appaloosa she had owned during our high school years. In my mind the name just didn’t fit this new horse. I was looking for a name that reflected what we were going to do together over the coming years: travel a lot of miles in the mountains. My sister suggested the name of Ranger. At the first sound of it I liked it. By the time I arrived at home, I had decided that Ranger would be his new name.

I arrived back at home at about 5:15 PM, after which I took him to his new pasture and unloaded him. He backed out of the trailer carefully and slowly, just the way I like it. I left him in a pasture with the resident “old gelding” that looked so much like him that I had some difficulty determining which horse was mine for a few minutes.

I went out this morning to see him. He had been separated from the other horse, as the old gelding had been running him around the pasture the night before, after I had left. I checked him over and found one good bite mark, but nothing to worry about. He came up to me in the pasture and followed me as I went to the trailer to get the halter. He was easy to catch, which pleased me immensely. There are not many things I like less than a hard-to-catch horse. He seemed happy to see me, although I’m not sure he really knows who I am. I think he just likes people. I brushed him, which he seemed to enjoy, then trimmed his hooves. I did a little ground work with him to see what he does and doesn’t know. I’m pretty pleased with his aptitude for learning and his demeanor. I think we’re going to get along well as trail partners. I kept this first session short and sweet, just sort of a “get-to-know-you” session.

Snow is falling now, so I may not be able to work much with him for few days. I’m looking forward to getting to know him and starting to get into his training as a trail and pack horse.

Stay tuned for more.

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A Friendly Contribution from William Healey of Horse.com

Last week I received an email from William Healey of Horse.com. He complimented my blog and website and posted a link to an informative article he has written about fitting western saddles to horses. He gave me permission to post the article on the website.

I decided that it would be more appropriate to simply post the email and the link to his article, giving full credit where it is due.

Thanks Bill.

Here’s the email:

Hello, Tony.

My name is Bill Healey, and I am the content writer for Horse.com. I was searching for article ideas on an assortment of topics related to western riding and just riding in general when I came across one of your older posts “How to Get on a Horse” on the Western Trail Rider website. Love your site and the Facebook page! I think you discuss everything there is to cover about how fun and exciting riding can be. I also enjoyed how your website was the perfect blend of entertaining and informative.

Last year we created a guide to measuring and fitting western saddles that your readers may find helpful. The article covers everything from how to fit the saddle the horse, fit the saddle for the rider, how to properly evaluate the saddle on the horse and how to avoid common saddle fitting mistakes.

Here is the link – http://www.horse.com/horse-articles/measuring-and-fitting-western-saddles/9843/

I think some of your readers could potentially find the guide pretty useful and, hopefully, entertaining.

Keep up all the great work,

Bill Healey
Horse.com

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Finished My First Pair of Chinks

My first pair of chinks
My first pair of chinks

Today I finished my first pair of chinks. Of the three pairs of chaps I’ve made (batwings, Arizona shotguns, and these), these were the most complicated. However, my skills and knowledge have improved a little and I have bought a few more tools, so there were no real difficulties.

These are from Bob Klenda‘s Red Rock Chink patterns. The patterns are sufficiently detailed for a beginner (I fall into that category), however I ran into a few minor details where a little more information, or some prior experience and knowledge would have helped. I’ll get to that in a minute. These chinks have three leg straps on each side with 5/8″ brass buckles, making for good adjustability for leg size. The back belt is solid, so the chinks are adjusted for waist size by the 1/2″ front belt.

As with the other two pairs of chaps, the leather is 5/6 oz oil-tanned chap leather I purchased online from The Leather Guy. I have been happy with all three sides of leather I have bought through this outlet. Much of what they sell is blemished in some way, and is therefore considered #2 quality, however he provides excellent photos of each piece of leather and provides detailed descriptions. You purchase the piece in the pictures. All three sides I have bought were exactly as described. I have been very pleased, not only with the leather, but also with the service, prices, and shipping costs.

I began as I did with the other two pairs of chaps, by laying out the pattern on top of the leather and tracing around it with a #5 overstitch wheel. The overstitch wheel marks the leather sufficiently to transfer the pattern lines to the leather without cutting the pattern, so the pattern is preserved. After that, I cut out the first legging. I then used the first legging as a pattern to mark the second legging, by tracing around it with the tip of a stylus or awl. Make sure you cut both a left and right leg!

I made the yokes and shields for the conchos out of 7/8 oz tooling leather, onto which I stamped a basket pattern. I seem to be getting a little better at stamping and I am pleased with the way they came out. I stamped the same pattern on the belt as well. The leg shields, where the legging buckles attach is made of chap leather, stitched into place.

2014-07-17 21.14.21After stitching everything together I cut the rivet holes and oblong holes for the concho strings. The conchos are held in place with the traditional “bleed knots”, however, per the plans, the buckle straps on the back side are fixed in place with a rivet that runs through the strap, the concho string, and the tooled shield on the front. The rivet is covered by the concho. I like the way Bob designed this. It makes for a very durable pair of chinks that are very adjustable in leg size. Having said that, I didn’t assemble the straps and conchos until after I cut the fringe.

I marked out on the face of the chinks, freehand, where I thought the fringe line should be, with white chalk. The plans call for 5″ fringe, but mine worked out to 6″. Next, I marked guide lines to help me keep the fringe cut at the proper angle, as I worked around the pattern. I hung the chap on my leg, to see how it would hang, then marked the lowest point (the knee) so that the lace at that point would hang straight down when I was standing. Then I marked guide lines up each side, gradually changing the angle to make things look right.

The preferred method of cutting fringe, according to several leather workers on Leatherworker.net , is to use a round cutting wheel, such as are sold in fabric stores, however, some use the traditional round knife, and others use utility knives with polished blades. Whatever you choose, make sure it is razor sharp. As one fellow apptly put it, “It could cut you if you looked at it wrong.” I found I could not keep the leather from moving when I tried cutting from the inside toward the edge with a utility knife. The very end would move causing the end of the fringe to cut poorly. After several tries with the utility knife and an exacto knife, I tried my round knife. I found that by cutting from the edge toward the middle, with a steel ruler as a guide, I was able to cut straight fringes. It took a little practice to do it smoothly, though. I was very careful not to let the knife blade skip and gouge the legging. Occasionally, the round knife would not cut all the way through on parts of the fringe, so I finished those cuts with a utility knife.

I found that by cutting small wedges out of the fringe every few inches, starting about 1/4″ wide, or smaller, on the outer edge and tapering to nothing at the inside fringe line, I could keep the proper angles of the fringe, according to the guidelines I had chalked on the chap legging as I cut around the pattern. As the fringe is fairly limp, these wedges never show up and one cannot detect, even on close inspection, where they were removed. After the fringe was cut, I assembled the leg straps and conchos, as mentioned above.

2014-07-17 21.12.24For the front belt, instructions on the pattern called for the belt to be made of 9″ of 1/2″ chap leather, doubled and sewn to make each side of the belt. This is then riveted in place through a slot in the yoke. I made my belt of 7/8 oz tooling leather, as I didn’t want to have to try hand-stitching that 1/2″ wide belt strap.

For the back belt, I went with Bob’s suggestion of lacing it in place. I have seen other designs that cut the belt as an integral part of the yoke, and then lace it together in back, but Bob’s design uses less leather and allows you to cut the belt to size, and replace it in the eventuality of a change in waist size…as sometimes happens. This back belt is what determines the waist size of the chinks. Instructions for determining the proper length is provided on the pattern.

Herein is the part where a couple notes on the plans might help a rank novice like myself. Bob suggests 1/4″ or 3/8″ lacing. Since my backbelt is 1-1/2″ wide, I decided to go with the 3/8″ lacing. Bob provides a pattern for the lacing holes, with the proper spacing for each size lace. I have never laced anything before, so when I eyeballed this part, and started to think ahead on it, I quickly realized that I had no idea what size holes I needed to punch. After a little trial and error, I just decided that a number 5 worked for the edges and 4 for the middle holes. I tried making lace out of chap leather, but they looked terrible. Chap leather simply is not strong enough to skive to a thinness that looks right. Not having a clue as to what kind of leather I should use, I finally called Bob and asked him.

That’s something I really like about Bob Klenda. I have called him on several occasions and each time it is Bob who answers the phone. He is very pleasant and always willing to take the time to answer all my questions. Never has he seemed to be in a hurry, or impatient, or made an excuse to get off the phone. I have truly enjoyed the short conversations I have had with him, and I appreciate the help he has offered to assist me in making my chaps.

Anyway, Bob told me he makes his lace out of 7/8 oz latigo, which he cuts to width and splits to about 3 oz thickness. He then bevels the edges. As I don’t have a splitter, I asked whether he might consider making up a pair of laces for me and mailing them out. He was willing to do so, but about that time I realized I had recently ordered some latigo saddle strings from Sheridan Leather. I had them sitting in my shop. I decided to try splitting them the old fashioned way, with a knife. I thanked Bob for his help and let him get back to making his high-dollar custom saddles.

2014-07-17 21.14.31I took a saddle string and ran it through my Australian lace cutter, set at 3/8″ width. Then I used a wood chisel to gouge out a groove in a piece of 1X4 poplar I had lying around. The groove was about 1/2″ wide and about as close as I could come in depth to the thickness of 3 oz leather. I held the edge of my round knife on top of the board over the groove, and had my daughter help keep the lace taught as I pulled it through the groove under the knife edge, effectively and fairly accurately skiving off about half the thickness of the latigo lace.  The grain side of the lace must be down against the wood when this is done. I then polished the edge of an exacto knife on my strop board and stuck the point of it in my worktop at about a 45 degree angle. Using my thumb to guide the lace, I pulled it past the blade edge and beveled each edge on the flesh side. This is the way it was done before the advent of the lace cutters/bevelers we have available today (the Aussie lace cutter does not bevel).  These homemade laces worked like a charm and I am very pleased with the way the lace finished off the design. If I were to change anything, I might have used larger holes for the lacing, maybe #5 and #6 holes.

I finished the tooled leather off with several applications of 100% pure neatsfoot oil, followed by a coat of Sheridan’s RTC Resist and Finish. After letting the finish dry, I applied some Sheridan Brown Antique Finish. I let that set a while and buffed the excess off with a paper towel. I applied a finish coat of the RTC over that. Be careful not to get any of the dye or finish on the chap leather.

So, I have finished my first pair of chinks.

This pair of chinks will go to my dad, from whom I inherited the love of horses and horsemanship. They are a belated gift for his 80th birthday.

Happy Birthday, Dad, from a grateful son.