September 12-18: Fall Ranch Week

Monday, September 13, 2004

Another group of eleven this week, a couple veterans among them, they are Mark and Joe from Long Island here for a fourth or fifth time.

The rest of the crew is Margaret and her daughter Kelly from Arkansas . Barb and Carol from Wisconsin . Steve from Mississippi . Dana and John from Illinois and Ken and Claude from Ohio .

Lyndsey and Nate took them out for a stray hunt and shakedown ride in 7HL pasture. I had figured they would only find a hand full. I stayed home and did some work around here and in the office. About 6pm they finally rode in with the news they had found about forty head and moved them into Loco pasture. It was a pretty long day for a Monday.

The weather was just fine, almost hot. It got up to the mid 70’s. Now that we have had a couple frosts I guess you can call it an Indian summer going on.

Tuesday, September 14, 2004

We headed out to camp today, back out to S.S. Basin using the same camp as we did last week. I went out through the riparian area gate and worked across that country with Dana, Steve, John and Ken we spent a couple hours in there finding a few head. Lyndsey took the rest of the crew down the Ridge trail to Snow Lake then came up the west side of T Bar Canyon. They found nothing along the way then met up with us on the east side of the canyon. The ride down and across was a bit technical for them and everyone learned to trust their horse. We got another dozen head off the east side and split into a couple groups again. I stayed with the herd along with most of the crew and we moved them across Loco pasture through the gate into Canyon Creek. From there we rod eon into camp getting in about 5pm. Lyndsey took a few with her and crossed over Loco mountain checking the area around big Loco tank. We had left some there last week but of course they were no where to be found so her crew rode in empty handed.

We all spent time setting up camp. This week we brought in our big kitchen and bunk tent as well as a couple wall tents. Once they were up everyone set up there personnel tents and we call the place home.

Just about dark Maggie came out to camp with the message that I needed to call the Forest Service. She had gotten a message that they were planning to burn both our holding pastures here near the house as well as 7HL pasture. I went back home to call first thing in the morning; it was a good thing I couldn’t reach anyone tonight as I am a bit pissed.

All summer we have worked to try and keep cattle out of 7HL so we will have a full stock of grass for winter use. The traps also have been kept empty so we can use them all of October and November to sort cattle then run our horses in during the winter. All that country has been burned twice in the last five years; there is no reason to burn them. None what so ever!

Another Indian summer day, hi 73 lo 39

Wednesday, September 15, 2004

I called the Forest service and met with the fire manager and the range officer. I explained that there was no reason to burn and would they show me why they felt it needed it.

Well they said their records didn’t show that it had been burned in years. I told them of course their records didn’t show it because both fires that had burned that country were “accidentally” started by fire personnel at the firebase down the road so it was no mystery why it wasn’t in the records. They couldn’t point out any thing that would warrant a burn, the country is in the best shape in a couple hundred years. After the fire manager left I was told the real reason they wanted to burn something was that with the light fire season their budget was still unspent so they needed something to burn to use up our money. I guess you could say they have money to burn. They really wanted to burn this place because the access was easy and they wouldn’t have to work too hard.

I was already out on the four wheeler so I headed down to the bottom of T Bar Canyon to the Loco gate where yesterday I found in the bushes a hole in the fence we had been looking for all summer. I could only get about a quarter mile close so I had to carry the wire and tools down, it was hot in there. It took about an hour to mend the fence, when I was done I was drenched in sweat and tired. I decided for future use I would leave my extra wire there in the canyon and save myself carrying up and out. I continued onto camp crossing over Loco Mtn. where I found Nate and a crew of riders gathering some cattle they had found at Big Loco tank. Agnes our bottle baby from ’01 was there with a newborn calf. They left her and another small pair and headed back to S.S. Basin with a dozen head.

Lyndsey had done a big loop out into the southern side of Canyon Creek pasture with her riders. I had told them to move anything they found one the south side up to the basin. They rode about five hours and headed into camp finding nothing and the fence there in good repair for the most part.

It was a hot day, got up in the mid 70’s with a sunfactor in the upper 80’s. Everyone was back in camp by mid afternoon and seeking shade. After a couple long days a few hours around camp was a good idea for man and horse. Frost overnight.

Thursday, September 16, 2004

It was kinda like last Thursday, we waited around camp till about noon , letting cattle drift in off the mountain slopes and come to water at the tank near camp. We finally saddled up and headed up the basin and started gathering cattle out of the lower trees. A couple of us stayed at the tank and held what cattle were already there. It took a couple hours but one crew after another made their way back driving in anywhere from a handful to twenty cattle each. When it was all said and done we had about 75 cows, 6 bulls and somewhere around 50 calves. After cutting off a couple little pairs we headed over to Pine canyon. For most of the way Lyndsey, Nate and I hung away from the herd letting the crew work it by themselves. I was sure dang proud of them as they lined out and traveled the canyon in perfect form. About three hours later we got them to Pine Canyon tank and let them drift then headed back to camp. On the way home we all just kinda scattered out some in the canyon some on the rim and made our own trails home. It was beautiful with the long shadows and a nice sunset as we got in just at dark.

The day was not as hot as yesterday but pretty close. Hi 72 low 30 jus a few clouds around.

Friday, September 17, 2004

Lots of coyotes around camp last night and this morning, time to call in the shooters again.

Nate and I each took a crew fence riding. We are headed into Pitchfork pasture next week so it’s time to ride the fence. Nate along with Steve, Claude and Dana rode up Elk Run canyon to our east boundary fence then started coming around west from there. It’s some pretty rocky dang country up there but the views are sure worth the trip. They found a big hole in the fence up there they worked on for a while and got it patched up. Other than a big tree they could do nothing with they found the fence in good shape. My crew headed across the Stony Fields and picked up the north fence behind dead Horse Corral. We rode it out from there to the 7HL fence. A lot of the way is through a burn that took place in ’02. It amazing how great that country looks now. It really needed it, thick with trees, no grass, now the trees are still standing and black but under is new grass coming in patches and bunches. In it’s own way it was beautiful riding through. After we got into 7HL we just kinda headed home across the rolls and Telegraph mesa. When we got to the top of feathery hill about 5pm we stopped and looked back. You could see where we started wayyyyy off in the distance; it was pretty impressive we had covered so much ground. But the horses knew it was Friday and they were headed home no matter how far it was and set down a great pace. We easily covered about 30 miles today and well over a 130 for the week. A great crew, we had some great hands this week. Not a one came off their horse! There were some really good riders and I didn’t have to worry as we traveled some great country.

Fall is here for sure; the luster is gone from the green of the grass except under the trees where the frost hasn’t lain yet. The browns and tans of dried flowers and mature seed head have taken over. But what a crop of forage we grew this year.

It was a bit cooler today and pretty windy at times. Hi was 68 over night was 30.