540 



helpers and matched with a horse that 

 will be his for the duration of the ride. 

 Stirrups are adjusted, try-outs staged if 

 there is time, and a part of the ride 

 acomplished by the end of the first day 

 out. There are no mantelpieces to eat 

 from in the wilderness. 



IF ONE TRIED to complete a compos- 

 ite of the trail rider, male or female, he 

 might come out with something like 

 this. The woman would be in her thir- 

 ties, a teacher or perhaps a stenog- 

 rapher who lives in a city, whose riding 

 experience likely has been confined to 

 the sort of horses you get out of a riding 

 stable, who has a profound love of the 

 out-of-doors, who systematically saves 

 for her vacation, who is naturally 

 friendly, and who is not so heroic that 

 she does not occasionally ask the cook 

 for a basin of warm water on a cool 

 morning or perhaps hope that some- 

 times she may have toast instead of 

 pancakes. The man would be a busi- 

 nessman, somewhat older than the 

 woman, who is determined to get off 

 the beaten trail, frequently is interested 

 in fishing, is a somewhat better horse- 

 man, is given to philosophizing, and is 

 anxious to share with his family the joy 

 which he has experienced. 



Invariably a forest officer is on hand 

 as the journey starts, usually with his 

 own saddle horse and pack mule, to 

 accompany the party on the entire trip, 

 or, if he happens to be the local ranger, 

 to ride with the group while in his dis- 

 trict, turning them over to the next 

 ranger as the ride proceeds. This will 

 also be true of the national park offi- 

 cers as the expeditions enter their terri- 

 tory. The representative of the associa- 

 tion who leads the group may be one 

 of its officers, or a member who may be 

 a forestry teacher, or a well-informed 

 individual who lives near the scene of 

 the ride. He tries to prepare answers 

 for all questions with the help so read- 

 ily available from forest and national 

 park officers who may accompany the 

 party. 



Nor must the medical officer be neg- 

 lected. Adequate attention to health is 



Yearbook^ of Agriculture 1949 



assured by the provision for this im- 

 portant officer on each trail ride. Con- 

 siderable study is given by him and the 

 association to his medical kit, and he is 

 not only a valuable friend in case of 

 distress but an asset to the party itself. 

 The few minor accidents have been 

 skillfully handled ; the even fewer cases 

 where people became ill and had to be 

 gotten out involved no serious travel 

 troubles. Emergency messages are de- 

 livered, and sometimes even mail is 

 received during the progress of the trip. 



The guides are local stockmen or 

 people who make their living princi- 

 pally from the recreation industry. 

 They are good, honest, picturesque, in- 

 teresting men, full of common sense, 

 good humor, and spirit-lifting banter. 

 Invariably there are natural entertain- 

 ers among the packers, wranglers, and 

 cooks, and wonders never cease at the 

 hidden talent among the riders them- 

 selves. It is a comfort for the pro- 

 spective trail rider to know that he will 

 be in capable hands and that resource- 

 fulness is a commonplace among the 

 western mountain people. 



By the end of the second day's ride, 

 there may arise the rare instance of a 

 saddle-weary or homesick rider who 

 wants to turn back, but usually all will 

 have settled into the routine, staked out 

 claims on choice spots for that night's 

 sleeping under the stars, insisted to the 

 cowboy wranglers on special care for 

 Blackie, Old Paint, Susie, Biscuits, or 

 another mount, and taken on that feel- 

 ing of well-being that only the healthy 

 tiredness of outdoor adventure can 

 offer. 



THE USUAL STOP of the party is one 

 night. The camp sites are selected for 

 beauty, convenience of terrain, good 

 water for camp use, bathing and fish- 

 ing, and proximity to adequate feed 

 areas, so that the saddle and pack ani- 

 mals can be held and recovered for 

 the next day's work. 



The wranglers have their own tricks 

 for the latter detail, from sleeping at 

 the pass where the animals might es- 

 cape from an otherwise mountain- 



