Trees Down~!

Weaving our way through~

It was an Epic day!   Epic in that I took the plunge & drove the Bronco & horse trailer with Farah in it - down Linda's new driveway!  What the heck, once we were down, we'd get in a ride - whether I got back up would be the trick :-)

Far views~

I wanted to go out to where we'd been months ago, just as the logging was finished & the last of the logs were being loaded onto the trucks.  Taking one trail, we were blocked by a huge downed tree - taking another - we made it through!

Such a beautiful area~

I told Linda, with views like these, I hope we never see expensive homes taking over this landscape.  The trees planted here are a mix - with Cedars too, so hopefully the tree farm is taking the long view here.

Linda & Count~

We made a huge loop, coming around to Baby Bear trail.  Farah hit the hill at a gallop, then hit the brakes just as fast - as this is a known lunch break spot :-)  She's moving so well in the Stonewall now.   I think it's taken her a few rides to realize that she wasn't going to be pinched on the downhills.

It seemed like everywhere we went there were trees down, sad to see the huge ones on the ground, even it areas of what I'd call deep forest.  Strange how the wind can take one tree out of many & knock it down.

Cascades, Whitehorse - no snow~

We took trails up to the top~

Lake McMurrary

Finally ending up at the Monument, by mid-afternoon.

Final Views~

Dropping down the steep trail, another tree had dropped lower - we didn't have to dismount, but it too will be on the chainsaw list.

There's going to be a trail clearing party on September 18th at 10 a.m.  Check out the link for further information.  This time, just getting the trails back open will be the priority!  Come!  Bring a lunch & be prepared to work!  :-)

Finally, back at Linda's, I loaded Farah, put the Bronco in 4-wheel drive, second gear & chugged back up the hill to the road!  Yippee!

Farah in Black~

Tacked up~

Now that I've decided on a Stonewall Sport & am currently leasing the Stonewall Classic, it was time to get the accessories to go with it!  It took three breast collars to get one that fit!  The first from Hought was too small, the second too big & I couldn't reach Gail to figure out the third.  I called Diana at American Trail Gear, who had one in the mail over the holiday weekend & surprise!  It fit!

My new reins, are identical to my old, except for the color.  1" wide & 6.5 ft. long just as I like them & work well with the running attachment with 2" rings - both made by Gail.  The headstall I ordered from Tory Leather - leather conforms to a horses head & is my personal preference.  I'm still trying different pads.  Today I used an inexpensive one that I found at Bony Pony, made by Cashel.  It's called a "Soft saddle pad liner" & works well with the shape of the Stonewall - fitting under the dropped rigging.  What I didn't like was that it keeps slipping out the back.  I'm going to end up ordering one from Stonewall & those don't cover the rigging.  That's why they have sheepskin on the back of the ring.  Jackie says that these saddles work best with only a 1/2 inch pad.

Another "Oh No" moment...

We'd gone right past the Cottonwoods that Butch had cut out for us & another mile when we came to this :-(  Too high to jump, too low to go under.  I busted up the hillside on the right, Farah followed, once up on top, there was a place to get over it - Farah did that - then I let her go & she made her way back down to the trail.

Tops broken~

Over at the far Wetland, we found a mess.  The wetland itself is totally dry - it's the first I've found that is...  Two of the big Cottonwoods that are along the creek, had broken off & their large tops crashed down. 

Dry Wetland~

What a mess & it will be interesting to see if anyone cuts them out - or if they're covered with water as the wetland hopefully fills again this fall & winter.  Either way - we turned back here.  Farah was in a nasty mood today...  Threats to buck, grunting - rushing - just generally ornery.  It has been a week since she was out - so maybe that was her problem.

Our way back up!

As we started up, she made a very strong threat to buck & got the stick!  Once at the top, she settled back down & we did our woods loop, until we were again stopped by another tree down across the trail...  I turned back - deciding to check out the big wetland.

Peace & Quiet

We made good time heading home, until we came to the tree & hillside to climb.  This time I just let Farah go.  She went right up the hill - a little too far up - but then looked, jumped over the top of the tree & crashed back down the far side in a rush!  That left me to just walk under the trunk & mount.

Once home, I untacked her & she hadn't even broken a sweat under the pad!  No waves on her withers, not a hair out of place :-)  I brushed her & turned her out - where she tore around the pasture, back through the gate, around the back yard & back to the pasture - bucking & blowing off steam :-)

Breaking Through~

1 p.m. Mt. Rainier

We left from Linda's & about half-way up the first stretch we came to the first tree snag down.  Linda had already made a way around it, so we continued on.  The sun was warm, but there was a good wind blowing & we both put jackets on the back of our saddles.

The "far side" of the clear cut we checked out last week~

With this clearing, they'll be more windfall - no protection for the existing trees lower down the hill.  We'd decided on a longer version of Linda's working winter loop.

Huge logs~

The skidder that was parked in this area, last time through - had done it's job & these huge logs are waiting for pick up.  All afternoon we commented on the weather.  Sure unusual for January!  Usually we can get a week or so in February that teases us into thinking that Winter is over - but Not this early!

Whitehorse, Three Fingers~

 As you can tell from the photo above - the snow pack that was so beautifully white has been melting rapidly!  The rivers are running full & no wonder, even without rain in the last few days.  It felt so good to be out & not be freezing cold!  Even the humidity was lower than usual.

Another tree down~

We were hungry - heading to the Monument & found the tree above nicely blocking the trail.  Not to be deterred, Linda broke through the brush around the base of the tree - got out her saw & had to cut through a smaller dead tree that would have prevented us from getting around.  With it out of the way - we could get by & get on!

Farah enjoying the day~

I've not been riding enough to suit Farah, she was like riding an animated circus pony for a while, a couple times jumping with all four feet off the ground!  We took turns in the lead - whoever was in the back taking the abuse :-)  We figure that if we do it enough - they will finally get the idea!