The night before the ride we met our fellow riders and Pat Kearney, our trail guide, at the Capitol Reef Inn in Torrey. Seven of us had traveled from Ohio, two riders were from England, and one rider came from Seattle. Some of us were experienced riders, while some were novices. We were given saddlebags and two waterproof duffels to put all our clothes and gear into, not an easy task since most of us had over packed! Pat answered questions and gave us an overview of what to expect over the next several days.
Since we would be riding in a national monument, she stressed that we could take photographs, but not fossils, petrified wood, or pottery shards. Due to the difficulty of the terrain, we would be covering only ten miles daily, even though we would ride five to seven hours each day. Hondoo uses ranch raised Quarter Horses, as well as Paints, Appaloosas and mustangs.
The horses are well trained and carefully matched to the ability of each rider. Brian would be mounted on Sawdust, a buckskin Quarter Horse. Our friends from Ohio were assigned Appaloosas and a Morgan. Smokey, the BLM mustang I would be riding, turned out to be very responsive and surefooted, which was important since the terrain we would be covering was difficult.
After breakfast the following morning, we met at Hondoo’s headquarters and loaded up our gear, horses and saddle bags. After a short drive, the horses were unloaded at the Roundup Flat trailhead. The 100 mile vistas at this high elevation were breathtaking and the yellow leaves on the aspen trees were just reaching peak color. Ice topped puddles crunched underfoot as we adjusted our gear and saddlebags. After an instructional talk about the tack and horses, we mounted up and began our descent towards camp.
Riding down past Steep Creek Lake we arrived at The Stairs, a rugged trail which had been cut into the side of the mountain by Mormon pioneers. This trail was used to move livestock and pack animals down to Indian Gulch below. Pat told us that due to the steepness of the trail, we would need to dismount and lead the horses down. They sure-footedly negotiated the rough and rocky terrain without a problem even though some of the riders lost their footing. As the trail grew even steeper, taking photographs became impossible and we put our cameras away. We couldn’t imagine how the pack animals and livestock had managed the descent. After about an hour we reached the bottom of the trail and stopped to rest both horses and riders. Everyone had quickly learned to trust their horse’s judgment and abilities and the remainder of the ride into camp was a relaxing one, amid spectacular scenery.
The following day, we rode to Egg Canyon through lunar-looking landscapes and over slopes covered with petrified wood. The wood ranged in size from small pieces to entire logs. Outcroppings of yellow caked uranium ore were common, and we saw the remains of many prospectors’ camps. Snow flakes began to fall over the desert scenery as we headed back to camp that day.
Lamanite Arch Natural Bridge was the destination of the next day’s ride. One of Pat’s crew stayed with the horses while we walked along a stream issuing from a secluded pool at the end of a canyon. It was a tough 45 minute hike through heavy overgrowth, but the resulting view of the arch and the pool was worth the effort. The orange and red of the sheer rock walls was perfectly reflected in the still water. Not many people will ever see this impressive sight, since Pat discovered the pool, and not many know its location
During the rest of the week, we continued to be amazed by the breathtaking scenery. Each day we traveled to a different location, and rode through varying terrain. We followed the tracks of deer, antelope, jackrabbit and bear through the fragrant sagebrush, while eagles soared overhead. We rode across The Flats, a vast plain surrounded by the Circle Cliffs, and marveled at the panoramic views of the Grand Staircase and Escalante Canyons.
One of our fellow riders had been to Africa, and said that The Flats looked exactly like the Serengeti. The temperature that day was very hot, while earlier in the week we had ridden in snow flurries. During lunch I startled a pygmy rattler that was basking in the sun. It’s fairly unusual to see a snake because they usually try to avoid people. Before the snake uncoiled and moved away, the braver riders among us came over to take pictures.
Another day, as we rode, Pat pointed out numerous shards of 800 to 1000 year old pottery scattered on the ground. Many shards were painted with colors that had remained amazingly vivid despite their age. At night, the stars overhead were an incredible sight, as were the morning views from camp, when the tops of the surrounding mountains seemed to be set on fire by the rising sun.
Unfortunately the week ended much too soon. After breaking camp, our last day ended with a ride through Water Canyon towards our rendezvous point with the trailers on Burr Trail road. The desert had burst into life along the streambed which ran through the canyon bottom, and animal tracks and greenery were abundant. We followed the stream through dense stands of willow, weaving our way among the orange canyon walls. The sight of a spectacular waterfall cascading over the red rocks into the water below was the perfect end to our canyon land adventure. The trail ended when we reached Burr Trail road and saw the crew from Hondoo waiting with the trailers. As Smokey was loaded up I told him goodbye, and thanked him for giving me such a wonderful ride.
