Hard Sun

Today was my first day off (wranglers get sundays off). After waking up late (8:00am... oh my!), I drove myself, my roomate/fellow wrangler Emma, fellow wrangler Kristen, and irrigator Josh into Dubois to pick up a few things. Not much is open this early in the season on a sunday, but I was able to get a watch, knife, and some intense chapstick at the Wind River Outdoor Gear store... and I bought a $2 kite at the grocery store.

Driving back (20 minutes to the dirt East Fork Rd, 30 minutes on East Fork) we rolled all the windows down as "Hard Sun" by Eddie Vedder came up on the mix CD that was playing. We all got silent and just stared out the windows.... East Fork Rd cuts across a high plain as it winds towards the ranch... the entirety of the snowcapped Wind River Range stretched out behind us and the craggy Absarokas rose skyward out of the dense pine forrest ahead. We were all lost in the moment, driving back out to our little ranch, 17 miles from the nearest paved road. The song came to an end, and we all remained silent listening to the wind rush by the car windows, and breathing in deep the scent of sage wet from a rain shower. We agreed that this must be one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and in turn that we are some of the luckiest people on Earth for having the opportunity to work here.

Once back at the ranch, we made our way to the staff kitchen to show off what we'd bought. Everyone was a big fan of my $12 french camping knife. I flew my kite on the lawn infront of the main lodge, and scared the poo out of the peacocks and Mel's three scottish deerhounds. It worked quite well though.... flitting about on the wind brought on by an incoming storm. I spooned with Hyena the black lab on the lawn for a little while once the sun returned, and chatted with Emma and Caitlin (one of the cabin girls). Emma and I then took a walk out to visit some of the foals (pictures on facebook) to kill some time before Kate (another wrangler) came back from Riverton and we could go hiking.

Kate came back around 3pm, and her, Kristen, and I set off on a hike out meadow creek trail to find the fabled Butch Cassidy's hideout. After about an hour and a half of walking in the Wyoming high country, we made our way down into a gully, and there was Butch Cassidy's cabin (or what's left of it). Now, this isn't some kitschy dude ranch fable, historical and athropological evidence back it up. It isnt the infamous Hole In The Wall (which is west of Dubois), but is a hideout where the former owners of Bitterroot would leave food and fresh horses, in return for gold and Butch Cassidy's tired horses.

We took a different trail back, that involved 3 river crossings. Riding that trail on horseback, we rarely ever think about the river crossings... its just an extension of the trail.... but on foot, it is a completely different story. The first was just a stream, so we hopped across from rock to rock. The second was much wider, and the water was very high and moving very fast because of recent snowmelt. We decided it would be best to take off our hiking boots, roll up our pants, and wade across. Three sets of wet pants and frozen feet later, we were on the other side. The final crossing was the most ridiculous by far... it was too deep and fast for us to wade across, but there was a thin log that stretched across (diameter: 8 inches). Kate went first--shimmying her way over to the other side (nearly falling in halfway there). I followed, army crawling my way, and made it with just one soaked hiking boot. After seeing Kate and I's log adventures... Kristen walked upstream and crossed on an old tree and the remnants of a beaver dam. Every branch she grabbed on the old tree snapped off, but she made it across safely and stayed dry. We laughed about how ridiculous we all must have looked, and made our way back to the ranch... holding the kind of conversation that can only be had while walking in the wilderness.

Now I'm back in the staff kitchen/internet cafe, waiting for the dinner bell to ring. Its hailing outside, but the kitchen is warm because of the heat from the oven. Needless to say, I'm enjoying my time here. :) I hope this blog makes up for my overly horsey post yesterday.