Into the Hills

Starting off with Prayers for safety ....along with Praises in advance~

Then, off down the dead end road to the trail head we went~

Yee ha...nice weather for my day off! Off to the Hills and in search for the Looping trails and roads around Stony Mountain. We have only ridden up and back, starting from the two different directions, to try to link the two.
 We went further and further but...no luck finding the loop last year.

 I actually did find a loop trail, but the "Mule people" made it and yea...mules are almost the only animal, aside from deer, that are able to travel it! I was on Danny Boy and he was good enough to try it for me...
 Can't say I will ever take my claustrophobic and cliff challenged mare on it!!!

We have another friend coming along for the journey this time! ROXY dog!
This is only her second hike with horses and she has learned a thing or two from the first time!

Roxy got stepped on last time, with out permanent injury, and now she remains out of the way and vigilant. Good Trail dog Rox!

Going up now and into the forest, we begin our trek~

My mare has been in high heat for over 2 weeks ...we've had on and off nice warm weather to snow..on and off and on and off! Okay Mother Nature...make up your mind already!

All that to say, I have only ridden her once in a week, and I have had so much stress in me..I needed a ride that was not as stressful as my week!
And to be fair to my mare...I left her home..she dislikes the mountains and slick...I will wait to take her till it drys out. Though, she has been extra sweet..by coming to the gate...what... I don't have to take your cold shoulder? So I did feel guilty, for leaving her this time, but I turned her out in the large field, that is perfectly grassed up. The PBO's Morgans can't go there now...too grassy and with the cold to warm snaps..it does a big Fructan change in the grasses... dangerous for laminitis for them.

Today, Faithful and True Danny Boy was my mount~ I decided to try him bit less...and he really loved it!
What a good boy.

I love this area for riding..there is always a quick running creek to allow the horses to drink from~

On past the Neat Cliff wall, and up and up we went! 1,100 feet to ?
We shall see soon enough.

We came out of the creek and up several service roads with neat-o views...I love taking my PBO out..she rides with others on shorter rides and I tend to solo ride more. 

 I discover new locations and then share them with her, like this!

She has only seen this area of the new clear cut from Stony mountain- and below near her home.  

We rode up THE LONG HILL I had ridden to earlier in the winter while the machines were still there harvesting the timber...it was so long..my mare decided she was done...so I turned around.

Now we rode on...into NEW TERRITORIES...and we found....yup....

We had ridden to this location last year...from the other side of the mountain.
 Kinda cool, we were pleased to have made the LOOP Connection this day!

As we traveled up...we noticed....

SNOW!
Now were riding toward the snow line,  some 2,000 feet up the mountain!
Making our riding distance 900 feet up in only 7 miles...those are hills !
Turn left for home, the marker I left  said~

The decent starts...with a little -fresh chill- of snow~

Sweet Danny boy~

Romeo and Roxy dog~

We made the Stony Mountain view point and took a breather....over there, is where we were, some 174 feet in difference.

The nice thing about this loop...it goes in between service roads- and wonderfully wooded trails~ My markers, still showing us the way ~

Home in sight...I gave Danny the relief from hills, as I do with my mare..and that's the thanks I get..oh, you're just tired boy!

My Washashe mare greeted us from her pasture~

The ending of another great ride of discovery ( Can't wait to take you JULES!)
Following our shadow rider home again~