Learning to be a Cowboy

Riding across the plateau, as the sunset over the distant mountains, snow on the ground, I felt a long way from the daily grind. Okay, so life is pretty special, running wilderness trips in remote areas of Canada and splitting time from marketing and other business matters with some turns on the ski hill....but still, there is a stress that comes from dealing with bills and business administration. Work is still work.

Out on the Chilcotin plateau at the ranch it is a different reality. Feeding horses, axing through the ice over the creek to get water, wrangling cattle, collecting wood for the fire, the list goes on. It is a simpler and wholesome existence that while hard work is very satisfying and rejuvenating.

In the summer we work closely with the Dorsey family and friends that run the packhorses on the trekking trips we offer in Tweedsmuir Park. This December was a chance, for myself atleast, to learn how to ride and as it turned out, wrangle horses and cows.

After driving to the end of a quiet side road, literally miles from anywhere I was met by my friend Aileen, one of the horse packers working on the summer trips. After being introduced to 'my' horse Sandy I was shown how to put on a pair of leather chaps, designed to protect from the elements and also very useful to protect against the brush when riding. We then rode for an hour into the Chilcotin Plateau to the ranch, an old homestead with a horse coral and fantastic views across the plateau to the distant coastal mountain ranges.

I awake the first day to a hearty breakfast, before gearing Sandy up for the days ride. Myself and Aileen then ride out to find a herd of horses that are foraging out on the range. We find half a dozen horses in the top meadow, an hour ride from the ranch. The plan is to herd them back to the coral. It all happens very fast and before I know it we are chasing them at full speed, weaving in and out of the trees through the forest. It is quite exhilirating and I can only liken it to skiing through trees, reacting quickly so as to avoid crashing.

As we near the ranch the herd slows down to a trot and I get time to look out across the plateau to the sunset over the snow capped peaks. As the temperature drops and I look forward to a cup of tea by the fire I can't help but keep smiling to myself. The stuff of boyhood dreams, I really do feel like a cowby.