DAY 17:

Stemple Pass to Meyers Pass (20 miles)

Off for a day to simple put on miles. Route similar to Thursday but with more rocks that the horses simply didn’t like or their feet were so sore that it hurt them. A number of times had to walk the horses down loose, rocky hills. Our speed kept getting slower and slower. Finally, about three miles out I gave up, dismounted, loosed the cinch and walked my horse the rest of the way to camp. Even on foot the horse would often just stop and need coaxing to move forward. Again, the Team came through. Minus a guide for most of the day we managed well, helped each other out with footsore, tired horses, and laughed over handling our latest challenge. At the end of the day we were glad to be done with both the horses and the guide.

Thought a lot about the family today as today was our son’s 18th birthday. How I wish that they could be on this Journey with me. The years passed quickly as the kids were growing up but I have such fun memories of them on our annual winter trips around the west and weekends in the Mojave Desert and local national forests. Memories of them rolling down sand dunes in Death Valley, playing on favorite boulders at Cougar Buttes, riding their little motorcycles with their dad and finding such treasures as iron railroad spikes and assorted bones, hiking forever and ever through the Prairie Creek redwoods, and of them playing for me my favorite Chariots of Fire song just before I’d take off for enduro starts. Our time together has been very special for Sam and I. But, with all of the weeks and weekends that we were away the kids did miss out on birthday parties and sleepovers. In place of these, though I think that they had greater opportunities to spend time as a family, see much of California’s backcountry, and develop their imaginations, self-confidence and good land ethics.

Our camp tonight is among clusters of pines next to open meadow. High winds are expected but feel desperate for being in open space and pitch my tent in the meadow. Very cold tonight and it’s good to be safe in camp, with a warm fire and a cozy tent to climb into. We actually have cell phone reception tonight. So standing in the middle of the meadow I get to call home to wish Jon a happy birthday and talk with Sam for the first time in 10 days. I find out that they have gone down to my parent’s house the night before and set up my dad’s computer so that whenever he turns it on the American Frontiers website will come on. Such thoughtfulness from Sam and Jon makes me cry. How I have been blessed with a such good kids and a wonderful husband. From the Journey, dana