Packing into the backcountry with horses is grounding, beautiful, exciting…and an entirely different way of life.
As a morning person, I wake up between 4 and 5am. At that time it’s dark and chilly in the high country, outside of my cocoon of sleeping bag liner, sleeping bag and sometimes lined duster for additional warmth.
So I lie there, enjoying the residual warmth of the previous night’s hand and toe warmers, listening to what’s going on outside the tent… Is it windy? Raining, snowing perhaps? Are the horses still sleeping? More often than not, the sound of nature at night is a fascinating, deep silence.
I contemplate reading for a bit and sometimes I do, depending on how early and how cold it is. I have a book, headlamp and a solar lamp always within reach. And a knife to cut rope if the horses were to get into a bind.
At first light – not sunrise, literally as soon as the sky turns from total darkness to pre-dawn grey – I extract myself from my sleeping bag, sometimes eagerly, other times less so, like when it’s 16 degrees (F) and my hands get cold just thinking about leaving my tent. The sound of me moving around wakes up first the dogs inside the tent, then the horses on the highline.
I put on my coat, dodging dog tails and wet noses, and pull on my boots before I open the tent flap. I assess weather conditions based on whether dew drops, rain or ice flakes fall from my tent as I open it and the dogs storm out to play. The horses are now starting to stomp, knowing they’re about to be turned loose to graze.
The next 20 minutes are consumed by releasing horses, feeding dogs, then getting the horses’ grain ready. They know the routine and, even hobbled, make a B-line for their nosebags. In between I take time to look around, ready for the sky to turn from grey to the subtle reds and blues indicating imminent sunrise, and waiting for the first light to hit the surrounding mountains.
Then it’s time to make coffee and wander around, admiring dewy or frosty plants and leaves. For the next few hours, it’s all about breakfast and warming up. During this slow part of the day, there’s ample opportunity to observe the animals and nature as it wakes up and the sun (hopefully) starts to warm the backs of horses, dogs and humans alike.
Sometimes there’s time before the day’s ride to watch marmots while drinking coffee and reading a book as the horses and dogs, content with their bellies filled, nap and soak in the warmth on a bright and now less crisp mountain morning. That’s what packing is all about.
