We started this morning out early, having to arrive at Jake Clark's house by 7 am. His place is a brown brick house that sits on a small hill just outside Rolston and overlooks one heck of a facility. He has a large rodeo type facility, a big barn and lot of pasture for his dozens of mules. Every June most of Powell and the surrounding areas converge on these grounds for Jake Clark's Mule Days. It is a week long festival, rodeo, barn dance and mule auction.
Jake greeted us and helped park our rigs in his front yard for the week. Jake is the picturesque cowboy, complete with giant grey handlebar type mustache, bowed leg walk and well worn hat. He is a very sharp, funny guy who has a way of making everyone feel at home.
His wife, Kay, invited us inside to complete some paperwork and finish up a few details. Then we loaded all of our gear into 2 trucks pulling 2 trailers packed to the gills with mules. We had a total of 26 animals in those 2 trailers and a dog.
Mom, dad and the boys hopped in the first truck driven by Jake. Steve and I loaded into the truck driven by Joe and Dusty, the 2 hands who would help keep us fed, watered and comfortable for the week. We drove the quick 30 minutes to a gas station, where we met up with Julie and Travis, a wonderful couple from Jamestown North Dakota.
We all grabbed some coffee and snacks and then loaded up into the rigs to head off to the trailhead. Just as our truck, the second in line, started to leave, we saw mom walk out of the store doors. Joe honked but Jakes truck was already out of the gas station and started down the road. They forgot mom! We stopped and she jumped into our truck. We pulled out just in time to see dad hoofing it up the hill back towards the gas station with a look of genuine fear in his eyes for having forgotten his wife! Evidently one of the boys noticed first that grandma was not in the truck. Mom decided she would rather ride with us and we all laughed about it, giving Jake an especially difficult time for forgetting one of his guests!
The destination of our trip actually changed from our original plan. Originally we were headed to the Greybull River, which is south of Cody. Jake decided the Beartooth area would be a better destination and give us more fishing chances. So we headed north out of Cody on HWY 120 then headed north on the windy and steep HWY 296, making our way over Wyoming's tallest bridge over water. Finally we turned east onto the famous Beartooth Hwy that connects Montana to the Eastern entrance to Yellowstone. We passed the Top of The World grocery and waits for several minutes through ridiculous construction on this scenic and incredibly busy but little highway. The Beartooth is famous with bikers and there were tons of them, giving little respect to 2 large trucks hauling trailers.
At around 10:30 we arrived at the Hauser Lake trailhead and parked. For the next 2 hours we mainly watched as Jake, Joe and Dusty went through the task of unloading the mules, saddling the riders, packing all the gear and making sure each pack was equally weighted to its match, etc.
Finally at around 12:30 we were assigned our partners for the week and allowed to saddle up. Jake handed each of us a paper sack with lunch, which we ate in appreciation and anticipation of the ride ahead.
Here is how the line looked once we were all in the right place:
Jake riding Rubella and leading a string of 4 packed mules and the mare Charlotte
Grady riding Crabby (black and tan)
Steve riding Katie (brown sorrel)
Colby riding Petty (sorrel)
Erin riding Frosty (sorrel with white frosting on his rump)
Chris riding Josie (black and tan who looked like Nicky)
Julie riding Hannibal (black and tan)
Travis riding Tex (sorrel)
Gordy riding Boots (sorrel with white boots)
Dusty riding Adelaide and leading 5 packed mules
Joe riding Yukon and leading 5 packed mules.
The start was a little rocky with Grady and Colby having little experience on horseback and the rest of us just a bit nervous about how things were going to go. The weather also started to turn a little, bringing in some cloud cover, wind and a slight chill.
Once we all got in line, Jake led us out and into the alpine forest. We followed signs for a while that pointed to Sawtooth camp and trails but eventually veered off that path and onto another. The trail was in the midst of a thick forest, often requiring us to bend over or push limbs away from smacking us in the face. Then the trail would open up into the most scenic mountain meadows. The scenery was astoundingly impressive and varied. Large boulders and rock "waterfalls" tumbled down the sides of hills and into glassy ponds with green grass rimming the edges.
As the ride went on we all relaxed a little, although the alertness and caution were ever present. Colby took to riding like a pro, with confidence and joy in riding Petty. There were a few times that he was a little nervous but he claims he was never scared, even down some really steep areas.
Grady was a little more apprehensive but he did really well. His growth by the end of the week was amazing. There were only 2 harry moments on that first ride: once when crossing a meadow jake had a hard time finding enough solid ground to pass. We had to stop and when we did so, Grady had a little difficulty reining in Crabby. Jake looked right at Grady and said, "son, you get that mule under control now" and he did. Jake still had joe come up to hold crabby until a safe path across the muck was found.
Onward we went until suddenly the last mule on Jakes string took a left around a tree when the one in front of him took a right. The mule ended upside down, on his back, all tied up in knots. It freaked us out, but Jake calmly walked over to the mule, who immediately stilled until jake was able to clear him from the ropes. They had to take off the packs and repack him, but it only took about 10-15 minutes. Ironically, we were only about 400 yards from camp.
When we came to what would become our camp, it was essentially a small grassy area, surrounded by trees and a short walk to Little Rock Creek. In the opposite direction was a large open meadow where we pitched our tents. Camp itself consisted of a large blue tarp strung between 2 trees and covering the camp kitchen. Camp chairs circled the fire pit, over which Jake did most of his cooking during the week. Jake and his crew got right to setting up the kitchen and getting dinner going.
Meanwhile we pitched our tents in the meadow. The boys had their own tent right next to ours, with mom and dad a little distance away and Julie and Travis up the meadow a little bit. The tents were impressive Cabellas tents that I am sure could hold at least 6 people. They were pole tents so we could actually stand up in the middle of the tents and we all had a surplus of space.
Jake fixed up spaghetti, garlic bread, salad and corn. We all decided not to worry about eating carbs or Colby's soy allergy (he took Clariton and hoped for the best). So this warms and hearty meal was like a big treat for most of us. And it was really good, too.
We sat around the campfire as the light faded, telling stories and getting to know each other a little bit. There were lots of laughs, joke telling and a new nickname for mom that was unfortunate and can't be mentioned outside of camp. But let's just say Steve has a lot of kissing up to do over the next several years for that one.
Grizzlies are the biggest threat out here and we have to take it very seriously. We all wear bear spray all day long on our belts and the boys are not allowed to walk outside at night by themselves. Joe and Dusty found a fresh kill today and while Jake thinks it was a cougar, we can't be too safe. We have to put all our toiletries with any scent (deodorant, toothpaste, sunscreen, etc) in bear proof boxes at night. They also lock up the kitchen boxes and hang the coolers from tree caches.
All this talk about bears makes me a little nervous for our first night, especially with the boys in another tent. The temperature has dropped dramatically now and we all have several layers on for what promised to be a chilly night ahead.
Sent from mobile
No comments:
Post a Comment