Arrowhead Ranch: Pecos Baldy Lake Ride

Not long after my Fourth of July Canyon ride on my mule, I invited a riding buddy to ride with me up in the Pecos Wilderness.

(Sorry for the terrible picture quality. Ahem. Some people don't know how to set the picture quality settings on their cameras. It's really easy, folks!)

My goal was to reach Pecos Baldy Lake, which had eluded me on the previous ride I had up in the Pecos, due to another rider causing all of us to get a late start. The trail begins at Jacks Creek Equestrian Campground and climbs over a 1,000 ft in less than a mile.

Because my mare is in her teens, I like to give her lots of opportunities to stop, catch her breath and rest. So that first mile tends to take quite a long time.

Apache has a huge heart, though, and a lot of give. And she seems to enjoy exploring the high mountains just as much as I do. But that first mile very steep mile, wears us both out.

But when the trail levels out up at the top and the vistas reveal themselves, it is all worth it.

And then we are surrounded by beautiful aspen forests.

Which continues with wide open mountain top meadows.

There are often herds of cattle grazing in these meadows, but we didn't see any on the way up.

There are a couple boggy areas where springs cross the trail. Apache has never liked walking through mud and she balked at me riding her across. So I dismounted to lead her across.

We have worked on this issue a lot since that ride, and I can now happily say that Apache will cross mud with me on her back.

Apache does enjoy crossing water, though. Especially if she can take a drink. This is Jack's Creek, that flows across the trail.

The trail continued through tall pines as it gradually continued to climb towards Pecos Baldy.

I was happy that my trail buddy liked to keep distance between one another. I have never liked nose to tail riding.

We stopped for lunch in a clearing. I checked my GPS to make sure we were still going the right way.

Because my riding buddy had used her horse trailer to get us up to the Pecos, I not only gave her money for gas, but I also packed her a lunch and a mini bottle of wine.

Time to mount up and get down the trail.

There was a huge forest fire up in the Pecos over a year ago and the trail traveled right through the damage left behind.

I was amazed at how quickly the vegetation had filled in the under-story since the fire.

And although the burned area was stark and even a bit spooky, it also had it's own beauty.

It was a little over 7 miles to reach Pecos Baldy Lake, but less than a 1/4 mile from the lake, my riding buddy pooped out and said she wanted to stop and rest at a small creek. She had no interest in continuing any further or seeing the lake. I was not about to give up on my quest with only a little less than 1/4 mile to go, so my riding buddy encouraged me to continue on without her.

So, that is what Apache and I did!

This was a new thing for Apache and I, riding into the Wilderness all on our own, leaving behind another horse, and being brave.

But, I am proud to say that we did it! And it was one of the most exhilarating things I have ever done.

Standing up above Pecos Baldy Lake with Pecos Baldy towering over us, was breathtaking!

But, of course, with just the two of us, there was no one to take our picture, so I had to take a selfie instead to mark such a monumentally special moment!

After turning around and heading back down to the creek, we hooked back up with our riding buddy, and made our way back down towards Jacks Creek Equestrian Campground.

Back through the burn area.

Apache and I were both feeling tired by then, but I was still feeling the adrenaline of having made it to Pecos Baldy Lake...and with just my horse, my best trail partner in the world!