About 2 weeks after our last snowfall, I invited my friend Loeta to go riding at one of my favorite local places in the Cibola National Forest: David Canyon. It would be my 3rd ride there and Loeta had asked me a few months ago if I would show her the trails there. I picked a sunny, fairly warm day, and falsely believed that most or all of the snow would be melted in that area, because we had no snow at our house, just 15 minutes away.
Getting tacked annd ready to ride at the trailhead parking area. (Notice the snow!)
But I was wrong about the snow...very wrong. There was still snow...a lot of it. Along with deep ruts in the trail filled with cold water, covered in a thin sheet of ice. But Loeta and I were both just happy to be riding our horses on such a pretty day, and just figured it would be good to expose our horses to different, challenging trail conditions. So, we cheerfully forged ahead.
Loeta and her Paso Fino gelding, Profe
Loeta and Profe are happy to let Apache and I lead most off the time. Apache is becoming braver and more eager to be out in front and I like the wide open view in front of us.
Yep....lots of snow on the trail.
Loeta and I both took turns using my camera so we could take photos of one another.
Loeta was grateful that I had ridden David Canyon and knew the trails well, because the snow made it difficult to even see a trail.
When we rode the main canyon trail, which is basically an old Forest Service dirt road, ironically, only the trail was covered in snow, so it was easy to follow. And it was easier to ride the trail than leave it, because, even though the trail had slippery icey spots, the ground on either side of the trail was spongey with deep mud, so our horses' feet were sucked down with every step.
But the biggest challenge was just staying on the trail, especially when riding through the forest, where the snow hadn't melted at all.
Still, it really was a nice day, and the canyon is such a beautiful place to be.
But it was far from being a relaxing ride. We needed to keep an eye on the trail and watch out for slick spots, and for deep ruts covered by ice and filled in with water. At one point, Profe broke through the ice behind us and the cracking sound caused Apache to spook and lunge forward. It even scared me. I thought maybe a tree was falling on us, or a bear was crashing out of the woods!
I love this pretty section through the forest. The trail twists and winds through the trees and it's lined by huge boulders.
Loeta and I had a nice time talking and just enjoying being out in such a pretty place, but it was slow going as we had to really watch each step our horses took. And as the day went on and it grew warmer, the ground was even softer, slicker annd the icey ruts were even easier to break through.
At one point, early in our ride, I leaned over to give Apache a cookie, like I often do, and I wasn't paying attention and stuck my left index finger right in her mouth. She chomped down and the pain was excruciating as she tore the skin off of the side of the last joint. Thankfully I always carry a first aid kit for both me and my horse, so I used a tissue to soak up the blood and stuck a bandaid on my finger and we kept on riding.
I think Loeta was pretty impressed, considering how loud I hollered and how much blood there was, that I just yanked up my big girl panties and continued on without whining. Heck! I wasn't going to let a little finger injury stop me from enjoying a trail ride! hah!
I could sense that Apache felt terrible about biting me, even if it wasn't her fault. But after a while I offered her another cookie and even I was surprised at how delicately she took it from my hand, using just the tips of her whiskery lips. She was careful like that for the rest of our ride, anytime I offered her a treat. I just love my girl!
We did experience some more challenges that day. After we had already untacked and loaded our horses, we tried to drive out on the road that led into the trailhead parking area, and we got stuck. Loeta's truck isn't 4-wheel drive and we were on a sheet of thick ice! It took us a while, but we unloaded the horses again, gathered up some dirt, gravel and branches and working together we managed to get Loeta's truck and trailer off the ice and back onto the paved road. But what an adventure!
But even at the end of the day, we both still said it was a great day and a wonderful ride. We really enjoyed ourselves and our horses were real troopers that day. They kept us safe on the trail and were willing and brave trail partners.
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