Elk hunting starts next week, and I will be putting my horses to hard work for the hunt. So I wanted to give them a good work out today and give them a few days off before the really hard work begins.  So my youngest daughter and I loaded up my two geldings and drove about 30 minutes to MiddleFork.  This is a conservation area administered by the State department of Wildlife.  It's where deer, elk and moose winter. So it's closed to riding Dec1st till April 15th to give the animals some peace.  But it's a favorite horse trail in the remaining months.  There is a small stream that runs down the canyon, it has a good population of native cutthroat trout. But it is rarely fished other than by a few horsemen who take the time to get off and fish.

We did what is called Libby's Loop.   It's a 14 mile loop that starts at 5500 foot elevation and climbs up to about 9000 foot. Fall has arrive her and the leaves are really changing color fast. But they are forecasting snow on Wednesday, So the storm may just blow the leaves off the tree. So today was the day to go see the colors and get some exercise for the horses.

The trail follows the stream up the bottom of the canyon for about 5 miles before you climb up a side canyon.  The maples have turned, but the scrub oak, cottonwoods and few quakies have not really turned yet.  so lots of green still mixed with the reds.

Here we cross the stream and start to climb.  This area is called the bus stop, because some body built a 3 sided shelter like a bus stop.  It gives people some shelter if they get caught in a storm 5 miles up the canyon.

Only horse people use this trail.  No motorcycles or Mountain Bikes and very few if any hikers. So it has gotten pretty over grown with trees.

A Wasp nest

Here is my daughter, we are about half way up the climb. Stopped to give the horses a blow. You can see the canyon we climbed behind her. We pretty much ride right up in the trees in the bottom of the canyon.

Top of the world.  At least on this mountain range. On the far side of my daughter is the canyon that the stream flows down and that we rode up the first 5 miles before climbing.

Another view looking down into the bottom from where we came. You can see the trail along the canyon floor.

It took us 4 hours. I ran out of batteries in the camera. So no more pictures.  Worked up a good sweat on the horses. They should be in good shape for hunting next week.

I'm a friendly guy. I've taken a few out of towners on rides.  Most had their own horses passing through and just needed somebody to show them where to ride. Which works out well.  I'm not going to take a week off work to show somebody around. But I'm more than happy to spend a saturday riding and suggest areas for you to continue riding.  The problem is that if you fly out, you want to spend multiple days riding to justify the trip, and I don't have the time for many multiple day outings..  I'll PM you. we can discuss what you're interested in.

The seasons continue to change.  The view today from my back door. Can't even see the tops of the mountains for the storm.  Snow line made it down to about 6000' level.  It won't last, but it's the first snow of the season

One of these days I'm going to retire an a place like yours (and cowpony's!) So that I can have that type of view from my back door and terrain like that to ride in!!

BTW.. I like the way your sorrel keeps his legs well under himself on a slope.. i noticed it also on another one of your posts where you took your friend/neighbor out with you..

Beautiful.  I'm so jealous.