Rains have set in, snow at higher elevations. Dense clouds hang close to the mountains. Its cold. My girls, Essie and Spirit like this weather. Once we are step out in the morning they are as lively and eager to be off as I am. But my adventurous traveling year is coming to a close. From New York to Spokane roughly 3500 miles. One of my best years ever.
I did not do this last year. Take a few weeks at the end of the year to rest, ride leisurely, reflect, camp, spend 3/4 days in one place. There was really no place TO DO IT. Time played a huge factor, nervous about making the ride pushing myself and the horses to make as many miles as possible last year.
With Elk in rut calling out thru the long pitch black nights I did take the time this past 2 weeks to take refuge from the travel. With campfires and wild foods cooking it was a time for reflection about what I have just accomplished. Time to fill every breath I take with appreciation, be grateful my two horses are healthy and still with me. Stop the pushing for awhile, BEFORE I finish the ride so I can coast in, re-enter smoothly. Because “coming in” as I refrer to it. Stopping! is always, always the hardest. Its not as difficult now that I spend all year in a tent near the horses, but the daily routine of traveling ends and I am beside myself. I don’t know who I am. I must find myself again.
At this time last year we- Essie, Spirit and I were heading back from the coast of Maine to Darlene Lundgrens home in Fort Edward, New York where I set up winter camp in the historical feed store building that sits behind her house. To be perfectly honest it seems impossible that I really and truly rode to the Atlantic Ocean last year.
I will let the photos do the talking as words never seem to show the beauty or the enchantment of crossing the mountains in late fall, this is a photo posting. More when I reach home in a couple of weeks.
