It was October and on the lower Blue the weather was pretty darn nice. The evenings were cool and a fire in the fire ring was warm and welcome. The food was really good cooked over that fire in the evenings, nothing like a steak cooked over wood. The river was low and slow but still made a wonderful babbling sound and that can relax any soul. The nights were bright and full of stars. It was a wonderful few days there while we camped and rode down the river bed to the south.
We would meander through the brush and along the several cattle trails down through the bottom of the canyon where the Blue twisted and turned here and there. The trees were still in fall color but fading and falling rapidly. Many leaves floating down as we rode. The sycamores fell from way up and the oaks rattled in the breeze. It was a lovely sight. We rode this every day while we were there. Our German Wirehair pointer, Heather, bounded hard back and forth and up ahead constantly turning to look at us as if to say follow me. You certainly can tell when a dog is smiling and she couldn’t have had any more fun. She was a happy dog.
I was riding my mule Agnes and my wife Ollie was riding her paint Cochise and on this day we left Heather at camp in the horse trailer so the wolves wouldn’t get her. They seem to be everywhere up here now. All the ranches in the area have had to set up fenced yards around the houses to try to keep their dogs safe. All the baby animals in the woods are in great danger and so many do not make it to adulthood.
It was a beautiful day and the air was crisp. We saw a couple of does run off in the deep brush. We crossed the river many times and followed on south. We kept looking for a place to ride up to the top on the east side. There was one steep little rocky spot you almost have to get the animals to jump up several layers of rocks. Which I did while Ollie waited for my OK in the river bed. Which I did not give because it didn’t seem to go anywhere. So back down I went.
So further south we go still looking. Finally we come to a definable trail going up the north side of another canyon on the east side of the canyon. It had a creak running down on the south side of the trail. It looked promising so up we went. It was rather breathtaking to the south you could see a very steep canyon developing as we climbed. I mean a nervous breathtaking, it was also beautifully breathtaking. Up and up we went. We could not have turned around if we wanted to. There were a couple of places where I wondered if you could get a wider pack animal through without knocking them over into the canyon. There was another place very thin where the trail had given away with a little dirt slide. The animals had to reach to get across. About a third to the top the trail turned south across the creek where the bottom of the canyon came up to the elevation we were at. We dropped down about five yards, crossed the narrow creek and then rode up the south side through all the fall colors watching the canyon get deeper again for a while and then crossed the creek again to the north now about two thirds to the top. It was getting steeper here and the trail did a little zig zagging to get us to the top as we got further from the creek now behind us. Still steep we followed the trail for a while again. Then a nice little ridge top and we were up there on top. We all breathed a little easier now. We were at a place called Saunders cabin. It was once a little shack to get in out of the weather or store a few supplies. The only thing left now is a bit of the roof lying there.
We ate our lunch and enjoyed the views. There was another way out but that would be into New Mexico and was not happening today.
So no time like the present to get back down and we saddled up and down we went. No problems, thank the lord, and we were back at the bottom much quicker than we got to the top. There are stories of accidents and deaths in this canyon from going over, so I was pleased to have us both safely at the bottom. We ride a lot of rough stuff but that was a doozy. Our nerves finally start to settle.
We start to head back north to camp and off to the east Ollie sees a heard of sheep on the side of the canyon. She is a great spotter, so another reason she is my favorite hunting partner. We get out our binoculars, they really aren’t that far away, but it helps me to really check out the rocky mountain rams. It would have been an easy shot to take that big one. They were very calm and were actually continuing to work there way towards us. I got some great pictures of the rams and their herd.
After appreciating the herd for a bit we continue back north toward camp. Crossing the river again many times and following the trails past the hole in the rock of a rocky mountainside and back to camp we are. The temperature in the river is tolerable to Ollie's feet so she takes the animals in for a welcome rinse off before putting them up and getting them their dinner. Then it was our turn for dinner and a rest.
Until next time, thanks for stopping.
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