Current Info – Page 36 – Ende Of The Trail

September 5th, 2013 Hot Springs, Montana

September 6, 2013

When I rode into town I thought, geez no one will starve in this town! I have never in any town that I have ridden through, seen so many fruit trees. Apples of many varieties, pears, plums, peaches, apricots, choke cherries, gooseberries. The trees dripping with fruit, branches burdened with heavy loads of delicous rippening fruit that the horses and I have been feasting on.

Hot Springs is I must say one of the most unique towns that I have ever ridden through. It is a mecca for the outlandish, the unusual. It is fertile ground for the creative for those chosing an alternative life. But it also has a thread of conservative influence of long time ranchers and farmers in the community and although there remains differences as does in any town this town fosters a high level of tolerance. It is a FIDO town. Dogs…you are welcomed here.

I have my camp set up at Leroy’s. He has a set of corrals and a shed and water, nice set up for me and the horses. And my campsite is next to his “Big Medicene Hot Springs” this is Tribal land belonging to the Confederated Tribes of the Salish and Kootenai Nations. I will be traveling across Tribal lands (with a permit) and hope to stop in St. Ignatious to present the Tribal Elders with a gift, a thank you for letting me cross their Tribal lands.

Claire and Hart did so well on the 17 day ride down. However Claire has gone home to Theodoras Garden, it was enough for her. Hart will continue on. He really is doing so well, I contribute much of his well being to the SOURCE MICRONUTRIENTS that I have been using. I am glad I brought him out again. Such a dependable, loving horse he is and a grounding force to the mares that can be so silly at times I wonder that they are even my horses.

From here I head due east to Seeley lake. OUTFITTERS SUPPLY has sent out a few items that I need and I will pick them up there. It will be a short stop might have to do horseshoes. The higher elevations are tossing out colder weather at night and I have added more woolens to my saddle bags. This is now the best of weather to be riding in. One must hide out during the heat of the day but mornings and evenings are purely…. perfect.

I head back out in the morning. The Mission Valley lies ahead, then it is up and over into the DeerLodge National Forest, I cross Champion Pass east of Deer Lodge then drop down into Boulder, Montana to visit friends for a 5 day lay over. I believe it will take 3 weeks to ride over there, not much more but like I say its a whole lot easier to say your going to ride here and there and every where, its a different thing to do it. Happy Trails to all of you that follow the ride. Bernice

the campsite in a disheaveled mess, preparing to leave

Montana Spirit hiding out in the trees, afternoon breaks with full fly protection on

there is is late at night the famous Symes Hotel.."crawl in and walk out" that was the moto years ago, still going strong — there is is late at night the famous Symes Hotel..”crawl in and walk out” that was the moto years ago, still going strong

August 17th, 2013 final preparations for 1000 mile ride

August 17, 2013

It is late and this will be short. WE leave, “we” being all of us… Essie Pearl, Montana Spirit, Hart and yes even Claire dog will be riding out with me this time. We shall see how she does. I had not meant to stay in this long but here I am mid August just heading out.

Essie Pearl ( uninvited guest) having lunch at Theadora's Garden — Essie Pearl ( uninvited guest) having lunch at Theadora’s Garden

The horses have had a good rest both Essie and Montana Spirit did very well on the fast short 600 mile ride we did earlier this year. The weather was hot the entire time we stayed on here at Theadora’s Garden where I rent the barn facility. You might wonder that I am taking Hart out again. Yes the big horse will come with, carrying only a light 40 pound load. It is because I still need him! The two mares are simply not ready for busy- in town traffic and Hart is like a steady train pulling us thru the thick of chaos out there. I will only ride him when I need that extra steadfast lead horse that I have come to depend on from him.
Because there are fires east of here in Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness area I am heading due south once again. First stop will be the McCurry Tennessee Walking Horse Ranch where I will visit Al and Judy McCurry. Mac McCurry and Evelyn have passed away and now Al their son has taken a great interest in the horses. As some of you already know Pride, the first horse that I used on the 2005 ride came from the McCurry ranch. Pride now 18 yrs old is with long time veterinarian Nancy Haugan in Eureka. After that we will make our way down to Hot Springs, Montana where I decide whether or not Claire should continue with us. I am meeting up with several friends there for a much needed soak in the therapeutic

Essie Pearl grazing in front of “the coop” a guest cottage, looking for treats no doubt

mineral baths. From there I hope to get over to Boulder, Montana which is due east of Hot Springs about 300 miles. Again to visit friends and maybe soak in more mineral baths. I would like to ride south from there into the Centennial Mountain range south of Dillion, Montana near the Idaho border.
I set out on this ride with this in mind..to ride late into the year. To experience northern winter riding. I have ridden many miles thru out Arizona and New Mexico thru winter months and I have ridden early spring in the northern states but I have not ridden into the late northern winter months. So this I would like to try, see what it takes to keep the horses in good health and myself warm! If it gets to the point that it not safe for the horses well of course I will get back home some how.
September and October are two of my favorite months to ride. The heat of summer cools, mosquito’s and fly’s lessen, there is less of a rush on the roads, a quieting of the year as it comes into its fall season. But before I sign off here I would like to thank Claudia Sieman, Nancy Newman and Theodora Brennan for helping to care for Hart and Claire while away. I also would like to extend a thank you to my much appreciated sponsors (please see sponsorship page) who provide me with the saddle, packs and gear, nutritional supplements, vet checks, boots, hats. All of which are indispensable to my rides. Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU. Happy Trails to all of you that follow the rides.
Sincerely, Bernice Ende, your lady long rider

Harts new set up that I so ingeniously created

OK I know this is getting ridiculous but she needed a shade umbrella

July 22nd, 2013 please join us

July 29, 2013

July 17th, 2013 Fortine, Montana-one month lay over

July 23, 2013

On my travels through out the west I have come across several “cow camps”.

“Well just what is a cow camp”, you might ask, “a place for cows to camp over night?” “Are the cows fed hay and grain and given a bed to rest in?” Well not exactly….When I first started long riding I did not even know there was such a thing as a “cow camp”!! I have come across many over the years each different each the same, it’s a temporary home for the cowboys and cowgirls that manage the herds of cattle that roam the National Forest land or BLM land or large private ranches. Some of the camps are a trailer and a corral. Others are old shacks patched together. Some are merely tents and steel corrals.

COW CAMP

It was raining hard when a white pickup stopped, I’d seen it go by on the road a couple of times already. I knew it must be a local rancher. Cow dog on the seat, fencing equipment in the back of the truck. A weathered face poked out the window, “hey if you need a place to hold up we got a cow camp up a ways”. Well, I thought a second…. I was heading home, only had another few days to go. I wasn’t going to bother them but I knew one thing for sure I was hungry!!!! and I also knew another sure thing and that was that cow camps have food!!! Food kept running thru my mind. The cowboy was headed for town and had to get going. We parted ways with a “maybe”. The warm rain, now coming down strong was determined to get me wet. I rode on a ways and finally chose a thick, tall fur tree to take cover under and waited it out.

It did not take me long to decide when I reached the the turn off leading up to the cow camp. I headed up the road like a horse heading for home, now wet and hungry.

the bunk house that my gear in there

No one was there when I rode into camp, “just make your self at home” were the instructions so I did. It was one of the prettiest places I have ever ridden into. Jerome Yoder and Toj Fletcher were the two cowboys managing the herd for a ranch out of Hot Springs, Montana. They had been at this mountain cow camp with the cattle for about a month and would stay until late October.What a pretty place it was.

          Neither men knew much about the history of the place but obviously it had been a homesteader ranch. High mountains surrounding a year around creek running thru natural, open luscious meadows. Abundant wild life. Long cold winters, deep snow and plenty of wind. The two men came in late, tired and dirty. Toj had been out with cattle all day and his horse knew the routine as it waited to have the saddle taken off, then sweet grain poured out for her, a brush down, then back into the pasture. The cowboys alternate the horses, riding one day rest 2 days before using that same horse again. A good cow horse, one that is quick minded and agile is a pleasure to ride and greatly appreciated by any cowboy. They are generally treated very well.

Rained hard again the night I arrived. I am not much for sleeping inside anymore but when you get wet, coming in is not so bad. In the morning everyone was up early and Jerome had a feast in the making. OH I do I laugh now when I think of sitting there smelling that food and drinking his “cowboy coffee”, its just boiled coffee most of the time. It is not espresso or anything but a deeply satisfying cup of coffee. I never know if it’s just the surroundings when I am drinking a cup of “cowboy coffee” or if its the people I am sharing the brew with or that I am usually just so darn hungry and a cup of hot coffee or hot tea tastes so very good. They both must of thought, “damn that gal sure can eat”. But it could not have been to bad because they said, “stay as long as you like”. My girls, Essie and Spirit were in full agreement when it was suggested that I ride out with Toj to help with the fencing and bring in some cows that had gotten out on Wolf Creek road. Jerome had to work on the horse trailer and run into town.   So I was given a horse to ride and out we rode.

Toj to the left
starting a long day

       Jerome Yoder above.

The job these two men have is this…keep the cattle alive!! They must in doing so keep fences fixed, keep the cattle off the roads, move them to different locations to keep from overgrazing or damaging creeks, take out salt for the cattle, treated hurt animals. They do this 7 days a week from morning until dark. They are usually given food from the ranch or ranches that own the cattle. Most times the horses (anywhere from 3 to 5 horses per rider) that the cowboys use and the dogs belong to the cowboys. Most camps do not have electricity. The cowboys do their own horseshoeing, cooking, cleaning. They both said, “I love this life”. These cattle were trailered out to fatten over the summer months on National Forest Service land. These are cow /calf pairs and were the Black Angus breed. In October or maybe later the cow and calf are separated and the calf will either be held over one more year or are sold and shipped off to feed lot.

these cow dogs are truly amazing to watch

here the men are loading into a trailer to take their horses and dogs a little closer to the cattle

   It is not often that I get to ride a cow horse. Dash was her name,Quarter horse breed. She was a beautiful sorrel mare 8 years old I think. To ride a fast, quick horse that will go anywhere for you just to get those darn cows is like driving a sports car. These horses seem to like the chase. Like the dogs the work these horses do is matter of agility, speed and quick thinking with a sturdiness of mind.

I rode out that morning with a full belly but I rode back in hungry. We fixed fences, moved cattle, which means you are running a horse over rough country, dashing under trees at a fast gallop to head off a cow and her calf who have a different route in mind than you do. I think we left about 8am and got back in by 7pm. Can’t say I was exhausted, long riding is pretty tough I was in condition from the 600 miles I’d just ridden.

Jerome made another feast! Geez I was hungry! Chicken,salad, potatoes( I made those with garlic). Slept outside that night. The mice and pack rats had kept me up the night before. It’s not unusual for me to share my space with “varmints” but usually I have Claire dog with me and she keeps them from running over my face…Now that would cause me to scream. I spread my tarp out and made a bed out in the open meadow near the bunk house. The moon was coming full, horses grazing in hobbles nearby, the steady biting and chewing lulled me to sleep, I could not have asked for a more satisfying day.

I was tempted to stay longer, but home was tugging at my shirt sleeve. I saddled up that morning and as I watched the two cowboys loading their horses into the trailer and then travel a ways to herd more cattle and repeat the same thing, move cattle, check for strays, check for injured animals. I wondered if they got tired of it. But then I looked into their faces and saw what many times is absent in most faces and that is the look of knowing that they are doing something that they truly love, doesn’t matter, they just love the life. Happy Trails Cowboys, happy trails

patiently waiting for the cue “load up”

July 12th, 2013 First half of 2013 Ride

July 13, 2013

Back home in Trego after oh about 600 miles or so.
Kathy Lewis (holding the reins of course) is our Trego postmaster
Fonet(left) and Louise are long time community members greeting us home.

Greetings to all of you that follow the ride. I rode into Trego, Montana on Monday July 8th. We, Essie Pearl, Montana Spirit and I were welcomed by cool sky’s and an afternoon shower that left hot pavement steaming and the air smelling fresh and clean. We were out approximately 2 months out and covered over 600 miles. We rode the mountains of Montana, thru the towns of Libby, St.Regis, Thompson Falls, Happy Inn and Hot Springs Montana… Easy riding. Grass, water and campsites everywhere, pop in and out of towns for supplies then head back out on National Forest Service roads that zig-zag up, over and thru the Bitterroot Mountain Range, LoLo National Forest– spectacular country. Two snowstorms, lots and lots of rain, roaring creeks and spring flowers thru out the entire ride. I accomplished what I had set out to do and that was to ride a faster, lighter ride. Claire dog stayed home as did the big paint gelding Hart.

The horses seemed to enjoy the pace, they were snappy and lively each morning that we set out. Please do not get me wrong I did not out to do a endurance ride. I get off and walk up and down the steep inclines and on flat stretches we just pick up the pace. I made every effort to strip down any excess weight. Essie Pearl packed not more than 80 pds and Montana Spirit had me to deal with. It was a change that I had wanted to make for sometime now. There were of course several issues that I encountered such as rubbing and change in horse shoe wear. I kept the breast-collars and rear packsaddle harness up to reduce any rubbing. The pads had to be perfectly set and I also had to take the packs and saddles off often to smooth out the horses hair. But all in all it was a good change and interesting to try. I will add more stories later but here are a few photos that serve to fill in the ride, until later..

Happy Trails Bernice Ende

the beautiful well used Black Mountain Trail Saddle from Tuckers — the beautiful well used Black Mountain Trail saddle from Tuckers

first week out ...tired — first week out …tired

DSCF5185 — Montana Spirit at Thompson Falls State Park

"ok. ok I think I need a new fly sheet" — “ok. ok I think I need a new fly sheet”

June 1st, 2013

June 2, 2013

I will write more soon! In the meantime, here are a few more pictures.
Here is Kelly with Cal and Gerry St. Onge at their beautiful homestead. We were south of Libby about 45 miles and heading home when a snowstorm hit. Here we are waiving good bye as we leave.
More updates and images of this ride soon! Happy Trails!
Your Lady long Rider
Bernice Ende

It is late and this will be short. WE leave, “we” being all of us… Essie Pearl, Montana Spirit, Hart and yes even Claire dog will be riding out with me this time. We shall see how she does. I had not meant to stay in this long but here I am mid August just heading out.

mineral baths. From there I hope to get over to Boulder, Montana which is due east of Hot Springs about 300 miles. Again to visit friends and maybe soak in more mineral baths. I would like to ride south from there into the Centennial Mountain range south of Dillion, Montana near the Idaho border.

Sincerely, Bernice Ende, your lady long rider

On my travels through out the west I have come across several “cow camps”.

It did not take me long to decide when I reached the the turn off leading up to the cow camp. I headed up the road like a horse heading for home, now wet and hungry.

Jerome Yoder above.

Happy Trails Bernice Ende