OFFICERS

Tom Firth 763-0405

Jim Sinnett 760-349-3341

Cheryl Silkotch 763-4063

Gail McCreight 767-9453

Cathy Haun 763-0405

Thomas Firth 763-0405

Joanne Bergman 659-3299

Allison Renck 763-0374

DanaFrost@yahoo.com

All area codes are (909)

Inside….. F.Y.I. Info. Veterinary Tips Calendar Health John & Kathy Petty

Ever notice how a lesson learned hard tends to be a lesson learned well? A case in point! It all started with a phone call from San Diego units Tom Marshall. Tom explained how they were going to have a 3 day pack clinic down Coyote canyon, staying at the rock house the weekend of Feb. 18^th thru the 20^th. The point of his call was to inquire if there was anywhere this group of about 15 could stage other than camp Anza. Cathy told him they were welcome to stage from our house and we even had a little shortcut trail that would get them into the canyon quicker and it was just down the road.

Well, the stage was set and Cathy and I figured it might be somewhat wise to do a pre-ride and make sure the trail was clear and safe.

We took off from the house with horses and pack mule loaded with lunch, water, assorted trail clearing implements and even a side arm conveniently nestled in one of the horse bags incase we were held-up by bloodthirsty desperados along the way.

We made our way down Cathy’s short-cut trail doing some clearing along the way. We then skirted the west side of the old "Blunt Ranch" and shot down I-10 wash and intersected the PCT. We started down the PCT with our destination to be Coyote Canyon Rd . in about 15 minutes when suddenly it happened.

It is a cross I must bear and the envy of all my friends that on frequent occasion I am abruptly overcome with a pure stroke of genius, And on this day , on this trail I was all of a sudden struck with such a stroke!

I had hunted this area years before and I explained to Cathy that just up ahead if we turned south down a narrow wash I felt fairly confident we could short-cut down into the bottom of Turkey track via Tule canyon thereby saving even more time. Pure brilliance don’t you think?

As we traveled leisurely down the promising looking wash I couldn’t help but think back to my days of traveling over Lolo pass with Lewis and Clark while reading their journals. I knew exactly what John Colter, Jim Bridger, and Jed Smith felt like when they first charted into unknown wilderness because I was having those same feelings now. (Although I was a little less apprehensive about encountering a snarling grizzly.)

About a mile and a half down the wash we came upon our first obstacle, two large boulders with a 3 foot step down, sure to hang-up some pack boxes. It was at that point I was about to learn lesson #1.

I stepped off Bill and unsheathed my machete. Looking for a suitable route around the rock obstacles I purposely neglected to either (a) drop my reins as Bill does ground tie (b) Tie with lead rope to a tree (c) Hobble my trusty stead with the handy-dandy pair of same, attached to my rear billet. See where I am going with this? I intentionally disregarded any of the aforementioned methods of commonsense backcountry stock restraint for (3) very good reasons; (a) there was nowhere for him to go forward. (b) my horse won’t leave Cathy’s horse. And finally (c) Cathy was standing behind my horse holding hers with the mule tied hard and fast to her saddle.

As I boldly entered the thick brush hacking away like the leader of a Congo expedition looking for Kong, I was about to learn lesson #2.

Apparently also in a very trusting mood and feeling the call of nature, Cathy drops her lead rope and her drawers and begins the task at hand.

My horse begins to blush and thinking it’s late in the day as he’s just seen the moon come out, he turns and takes a few steps up the wash away from the lunar eclipse. Cathy’s horse seeing Bill begin walking away says "Hey, wait, I’ll join you"! The mule, tied to Cathy’s horse has no choice and turns to follow. Having to turn in tight quarters, the mule breaks off a Redshank branch the size of a small Alaskan pipe line. "Snap, crack, and bam on his rump and the rodeo was on!

Considering the stream of profanities that spewed forth from Cathy’s sainted lips ( some of which I’ve never heard before) , I’m wondering if they’re the same lips I’d kissed just hours before.

Hearing the commotion, I rushed to a vantage point in the rocks just in time to catch a final glimpse of the mule blazing over the ridge about a mile away. Instructing Cathy to save her breath for the long walk home, I was about to learn lesson #3.

Three hours, seven miles, eleven blisters, a complete dissertation on French provincial furniture from 1653 to present, a torn shirt, no tobacco and not to mention the fact that we had to drag by "the drunkhouse" and suffer further indignation having Harold Birch describe in great detail the riderless horse and mule race he had witnessed just hours earlier, we finally and mercifully arrived home.

I n conclusion, three valuable lessons were Re-learned that day.

#1. Proper use of stock restraints: Never trust that trusty steed or he be there in time of need.

#2. Properly dispose of waste. Never moon an untied /secured animal.

Till’ next meeting

See ya!