Spring 1975
Trip to Ranch near Chama NM. Spring development check.
As a part of my job for the USDA – SCS (Colorado) I was to check on the work of the Field Technicians work. I was in the Area office as young engineer and each Area would oversee the operations of multiple field offices. The Government at that time had a good system, that 10% of all the work we did had to be checked by someone else(usually of greater authority. It was all a random spot check system where someone from the Area Office, or someone designated, would visit one of the Field offices and get the number of jobs of every type done by that office. Then we would select a representative 10% of those jobs done or approved by them to be spot checked. This spot check was to ensure that all the criteria, policies and procedures were followed. A very good system of quality control in my opinion.
One of the more memorable trips I had to do, was a spot check for a “Spring development” for the field office in LaJara, Colorado. I do not remember the exact reason or even the list of other jobs that I had to check but this one I remember very well. Once I had gathered the necessary office records and reviewed them the duty was to do the field “spot check” At the time that the jobs were pulled to be checked I had no idea this one was going to be a day long trip to the High country and actually be in New Mexico and not Colorado.
The technician for that office had designed several spring developments for water in remote pastures. The one that was “randomly” selected brought a little surprise to him and myself. He said that we could check some of the other items on my list that day but the spring development would have to wait a couple of days due to the remote location. He would have to get cooperation from the rancher so we could make a visit. He said he would call me when he had it set up. That was not a problem as I was stationed in Alamosa, only a few miles up the road and could make the field visit most any day. As we went over the pre-work on this and the other items I had to review in this trip I did the map reviews, the paperwork pulling, and all the necessary to get the preliminary stuff out of the way. He told me it was really a remote location and it would take most of the day to drive down and get in and get out. OK that sound like a great experience to me. It was also not unusual for us to pack a lunch for a lot of our field trips so he said when I came to come prepared for some “outback hiking” and bring a lunch. We were able to review several other project that day – an irrigation divide box, some field leveling, and a few other things I forget most of them as they were routine things.
The next afternoon he called me at the office and said the visit was on for Thursday of that week – two days later. I need to be at his office by 7 if we were to get it all done in one day. That was unusual, but ok by me.
On Thursday of that week, I was at his office on time and we loaded into his vehicle and started the journey south from LaJara. We had to travel into New Mexico by Hwy 17 – almost to Chama, NM. We pulled off on a county road and about a half mile in we pulled into a ranch gate and up to a set of corrals with some horses there. The Rancher was already there and had 3 horses saddled and ready for out trip into the back country. I got a little excited to see that it was going to be a day on Horseback in some of the most beautiful country imaginable.
I was still young – in my 20’s and the rancher was probably in his 50’s so as would be the case he had to ask if I was familiar with a horse and I told him, yes I had ridden some, we had a horse on the farm and I hated that old mare but had some experience. He smiled and proceeded to tell me about the horse I was to ride – a big black horse with white face markings and 3 white stocking. It was a big wide horse, but he said it would be fine for me as he was pretty gentle and didn’t scare easy. I was still intent on the fun it was going to be and not listening with full intent. I should have picked up the “didn’t scare easy” part. That only came to me later. I asked a few questions about the horse and the ranch and how far we would be going in, etc. He explained the ranch and it had been in his family for some time (generations I think) but I was not fully listening as I was taking in the absolute beauty of the day and the area. I am sure I took pictures as I had to for the development but i have no idea today where they are, or even if I got to keep any. As I remember I was using disposable cameras back then so they could be anywhere.
After we had packed our lunches and I put in some of my needed paperwork, etc. we headed off to the South west on a trail through the open meadow. I could see that we would be back in the timber soon but the flat open meadow was green and beautiful. As we travelled that damn black horse tripped and stumbled on every stick rock, pebble, or anything small on the trail. As we walked on the Rancher explained more of the ranch and how the horse I rode, he used to pull heavy stuff in and out when needed – damn no wonder he was so wide. I had not been on a horse in some years and this one was wide enough that I felt like I was going to split trying to straddle him. It did make for a nice seat as there was very little side to side movement.
Soon we were entering the timber and that damn horse continued to stumble in everything in the trail. I didn’t mind as it was flat or relatively flat terrain and a beautiful day so we continued on. This trail ride continued for about 2 hours at a slow pace, we entered and went through several small open meadows, crossed several small streams as well. It became evident at one point we were nearing a large canyon. At this point I could not tell how large, just that I started to notice the opposing sides wall and that it was some distance over to that wall.
As we rounded a corner I could see that the trail ahead headed for the canyon. Then we were there and it was Holey Shit – the trail runs right on the damn edge of that canyon and Holy Shit it is a HELL of a long way down to the bottom of that. The walls of that canyon were really vertical. It was a huge gash in the earth, solid rock and very steep to the bottom. At that point I was getting nervous as that damn horse had tripped and stumbled on every pebble in the trail to this point and here even a really small stumble or missed step would been over the edge we go! The old rancher looked back and could see my face was “lit up” – he smiled and said , “not to worry we have made this trail a hundred times and hadn’t lost anyone yet”. “We got pretty close a couple of times but it always worked out alright and oh by the way it wasn’t anymore than maybe 500 feet to the bottom, and if you fall in the river will wash you out out at Chama, NM”. Damn that made me feel good to know they could pick my body up later. Now I have driven on the Colorado roads and been on a lot of jeep trails that were hanging on the edge of the cliff but this time I was on a damn horse that could even walk with out tripping and he had 4 legs! The trail ahead had several limbs laying across it and a lot of large rocks and boulders we would have to navigate. We moved onto that trail, along that path I could look almost straight down on my right side, I had my foot out of the right stirrup so if the horse tripped I was ready to jump uphill, sorry horse but I ain’t going with you on that one. I was even leaning to the left away from the cliff with occasional glances to the bottom. You know that old horse never missed a step, walked over those logs, around the boulders and was as sure footed as any I had ever seen along that edge. That part of the trail was nearly a mile and it was enough to make me pucker up real tight but we made it with out a missed step. Once we got back into the open away from the cliff that damn horse went right back to dragging it’s feet and tripping on every pebble? I guess horses like people sometimes save it all for the times they really need it? I could tell that the Rancher and the Technician were having a great time watching me cringe that whole mile. After we cleared the cliff, the Rancher turned back and said, “that horse is sure something, strong as hell and sure footed as a deer , but only when he needs to be”. I thought “gee thanks for warning me”.
We made a couple m ore clearings and then up on a slope we moved to the development. The Rancher had done a great job of putting in a steel tank with cement bottom and the spring was well protected, but that caused me to start thinking. “How the HELL did they get that cement in here and that tank for that matter? I had expected to see something more primitive as this distance in and no other visible roads to get there. At that point the Rancher explained that it was just a mile or less to the highway from here – up the hill to the east. They had drug most of the supplies in by snow-mobile during the winter. He and the technician had thought it would be a lot more fun for them and me to come in by horse the old way, rather than hiking in on foot from the highway. I had to agree at that point it was a great trip and only half done as we still had to make the trip out.
We had lunch at the spring, sat in the sun, and talked about how great it was to get away like this for a day when there was not a pressing need to hurry. I had to agree again and thanked him for such a great gift. A treasure that I would remember for many years. Although we still had the ride back out I had more than gotten my money’s worth in this trip. The trip back out was just as un-eventful and just as confusing. That damn horse tripped on everything , except that one mile along the rim. This time I did enjoy the rim trail a lot more as I now had confidence in that DAMN Horse to do it right. We got back to the corral about 3 or 3:30 pm and unsaddled the horses , put them in the corral and the Rancher gave them a little extra hay for their work of this day. The technician and I headed back to LaJara and he had a few good laughs as I recounted the absolute fear I had when we first hit that rim. Some days in your life you look back and sure wish you could live again because they were just that great and this was one. – WD0AJG