Day #28

Today was the biggest adventure so far. We got lost!

We started out with me leading with the intention of showing Dan where the Bob Grove Trail was located. I couldn't find it, so we just picked a trail and rode on.

We did fine, at first, even running into some other riders going the opposite way. There were ribbons on some of the bushes as we rode a mountaintop pasture. We even found a watering hole with cow hoof prints around it.

Then we saw a cow off on a distant hill and it saw us. Blaze got extremely agitated and didn't want to go toward it, snorting loudly at it a couple of times.

Soon we lost track of the ribbons. They were just gone, so we turned around to find our way back. On our way, Pearl got into the cholla. She didn't put Dan off, but she was kicking to get them off her. I pulled out the cactus comb and he flicked them off her. Then, I got one on my boot and Blaze had one on his leg. After getting the horses cleared of spines, we continued on.

We did OK until Dan thought it would be shorter if we took a cut off trail. The trail ended up taking us further and further away from camp. We tried turning around and following another trail that went in the right direction, but it took us up and over another mountain top

and we were lost.

We climbed up another and could see the main highway and rode a trail down. When we finally got down, we saw the railroad track was right beside us, but a fence was between. It was the same track that ran past the camp.

We both used our mapping devices and compass. We needed to head north west, but there was a nearly impassable climb ahead of us and no trail. So I held the horses while Dan climbed up to see where we were.

Two mountains over, he could see the power lines that we knew our wash was near. But there was no trail. So again we bushwhacked our way past bushes with thorns, cholla cactus and other prickly plants climbing an embankment. I had to hold onto Blaze' s mane

and let him help me up. climb up. I ended up falling down at the top because the rocks were loose.

We tried to follow a canyon wash thinking it would come out to the bigger wash that we knew was near the camp, but it only got narrower and narrower. We couldn't go that way. With banks steep on either side, Dan climbed up another direction by foot and found a four-wheeler trail and that is how we got out of that trouble. We led the horses up. The four wheeler path across the ridge of that mountain took us to a horse trail going down and we recognized where we were.

It had been 4 1/2 hours and 8 3/4 miles since we began our exploration. I am beat. Not used to climbing mountains on foot with a horse following. At least the horses remained calm, but I bet they are tired, too!

Till tomorrow! May God bless you day and night.
Pam