Last summer the New Mexico Back Country Horsemen held their annual camping and riding event called Rendezvous. And since I am a hard working, active member of my local Back Country Horsemen Chapter, I decided to go. It was my first one to attend because in years past I didn't have my own horse trailer and truck to take my horse and camp. But...now I do!
My awesome campsite at Argentina/Bonito in the National Forest.
I chose my campsite because it was above and west of the congested area that the majority of the BCHM members were camping. I wanted the camping experience and wasn't looking for a lot of socialization. Peace and quiet and spending time with my horse out in nature was what I was craving. And my campsite was perfect for that. I even saw a few piles of elk poo around our campsite!
Apache definitely approved, too. She could see the other equines all around us, so she felt safe, plus she had tons of lush green grass to eat.
Speaking of grass......I had brought a bag of hay pellets along with a bale of hay, and I didn't really need them. Apache ate grass the entire weekend, and I just moved her portable corral to another area whenever she clipped the grass down too short. She was very happy with the menu that weekend.
Apache and I settled in for the night and I slept like a rock.
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The next day, we joined a group that was riding up into Turkey Canyon on the Argentine Trail.
The Rio Bonita was just below my campsite and to reach any of the trails required crossing the river both going and coming. Good thing my mare is trained to cross water.
We rode along a gravel road for about a 1/2 mile to reach the trailhead.
The trails were well groomed, but had some rocky areas and boulder steps.
The wildflowers were in beautiful abundance and the sights and scents were heavenly!
There were some sections with steep drop offs on one side, but with the trees and vegetation on that side it wouldn't be too scary for anyone afraid of heights.
The trails are well maintained, as made obvious by this log that was cut to keep the trail clear.
What surprised me most about riding in the White Mountain Wilderness was just how lush and green it was with numerous flowing water crossings.
We crossed water countless times on Argentina Trail.
We even rode beside it. And I loved the sounds of the bubbling brook beside the trail.
In fact, we rode alongside or in the water almost the entire trail up to the top of the mountain.
Some of the trail was eroded in place. That will need to be addressed sometime in the future before the trail washes away into the creek.
There were also beautiful green meadows covered in grass and wildflowers.
Someone captured a photo of me.....I think I smiled almost the entire day.
I found it funny how we all stopped to let each horse take a drink at each and every water crossing...as if there wasn't plenty of water to drink every 15-20 minutes during our ride. Yet, our horses will go 4-5 hours without even one drink on trails that don't have any water crossing or springs to drink from.
There were even a tiny waterfall to cross on the trail.
Well it was mostly just a trickle with boulders to climb up above the waterfall. But it was a fun challenge.
Like I said before, the wildflowers were in abundance along the trail and I just loved them.
We eventually reached the end of Argentina Trail at top of the mountain.
The ridge was mostly treeless and provided stunning views.
To the west.....
The west behind me and Apache.
And to the east.....
And with the east behind me and Apache.
Everyone hung out at the top and rested while taking photos.
Apache and I with the mountains to the east behind us.
The views to the north weren't too shabby either. Kind of made me want to break out singing "The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music"!
But the views to the west were incredible, too! And all the yellow flowers just made everything look prettier.
We decided it would be fun to ride up onto a hill to get a little higher and see if the views could get any better.
Up..up..up. Apache said, "I think we can, I think we can..."
And yes, the views did get even better up there.
But it was time to continue our ride, so we rode back down the hill.
We rode down to the old corral to the spring that flowed over the rocky, steep, boulder covered trail.
The trails were well marked.
And the grass was as tall as Apache's belly!
It was an incredibly beautiful ride.
Riding among the tall ponderosa trees is always a delight for me.
Two of the riders behind me had driven in from Texas. They weren't used to riding in the mountains. But they really seemed to enjoy themselves.
As you can see, the grass was taller than Apache's belly.
We stopped for lunch and tied up our horses. Apache was happy to take a nap.
There was plenty of grass to eat within reach of all of the horses.
Our group's lunch spot beneath the Ponderosa trees.
After we mounted back up and rode a ways down the trail, I looked back and saw our lunch spot location.
I really enjoyed riding through this section with the twisting branches of these shrub oaks above our heads.
Their branches had such a sculptural quality to them.
It felt like riding through a magical fairy forest.
But we were soon back out onto the mountain top riding through the tall grassy meadows. Up ahead we could see Nogal Peak peeking from behind the mountains.
This is where Apache decided it was silly to ride on the trail when we couldn't even see it.
Although we did try to follow the trail through the grass for a while.
Apache thought it just made more sense to make our own path through the grass instead...so we did.
Except there were times that I wondered if we might lose sigh of the riders in front of us because the grass was so tall. haha!
I didn't take any pictures of the super steep, slippery, rocky, knee-knocker, must-pay-attention section of the trail, because it required full concentration to direct my horse down the mountain in the safest directions possible. But eventually we made it down a flatter section and the trail got pretty again.
And we had another water crossing.
And we rode alongside a creek again.
And crossed water again....
And crossed water......again.
And another water crossing.
And then the trail dumped us out into Turkey Canyon.
Where there was another water crossing....
And then we arrived at the Rio Bonito, which we had to cross to reach our campsites.
But first, everyone let their horses have a drink....because it had been such a long time since the horses had any opportunities to have a drink of water on the trail.
Even Apache had a drink. I am sure her kidneys were working fine after our ride that day. haha!
Apache, "I think I've finally had enough water today"
Or, maybe not.
We rode past the old Runnels Stables where tourists can rent horses and have a guide take them on the same trail we had just ridden that day.
Ahhhh, sweet home away from home. I love camping with my horse. It's one of my most favorite things to do in the whole world.
Apache seems to enjoy camping, too.
I ate some dinner and grabbed a mini bottle of wine and relaxed the rest of the evening until it was time for crawl into my cozy bed inside my trailer.
Tomorrow would be another long, but fun day of riding in the White Mountain Wilderness so Apache and I needed our rest.
