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The Forest Service has really promoted the Lolo Trail road (Lolo Moterway- dirt road) but not much has been published in recent history about the Lolo Trail. Historical accounts have been gathered together in Lynn and Dennis Baird’s book In Nez Perce Country Accounts of the Bitterroots and the Clearwater after Lewis and Clark. Many accounts from the 1877 war are in this book.

The Appaloosas on this trip are from old Nez Perce lines. They are tough, and full of endurance. Most people ride with me only once- but not the Nez Perce. We followed the old trail abandoned by the Forest Service, with downed timber from 80 years of no maintance. We laughed as we stepped over small downed trees, one foot high- and recalled Howard’s comments about how he had to cut the trail out to follow the Nez Perce. These trees were just like unevenly spaced cavaletti. We had one rider who had never ridden, and girls with cut faces who never complained. Watch those tree brancehs on non- maintained trails.

Some places the old trail was a single path knee deep ditch, from the thousands of horse who traveled to the buffalo country. Some places the trail is no longer visable- a ghost trail- from lack of use. Some places the Forest Service has placed logs and branches in the trail to discourage use. “Arron, see that cut log in the trail? ” Yes. “That’s Forest Service ” trail obliteration” praject.”

“But this is the Nez Perce Trail” Arron replied.
Yes, and it is a National Historic Trail, and you can’t keep the Nez Perce people off of it; because of their treaty rights. The Lolo Trail is also a National Historic Landmark. During the 2007 Chief Joesph Appaloosa Ride the Forest Service kept the riders on the Lolo Divide road, but I ride the old trail every chance I get. If we dont use it- we loose it. From mile marker 49 for a short ways (15 minutes) the old trail is no longer visable, its a ghost trail, but my horse knows where the old trail path was still visable in 2005. The old Lolo Trail is an awesome place.

Jack gathered plants. He gave us cows- cow- Big Medison. You dry it and flake it into coffee. Gene and I both got a root.

Bigfoot came to our camp twice, maybe 3 times. Most Americans never heard of the big ape- some believe he is a demon- many fear him- once they see him. He thumped on a tree above our camp at Howard Camp- tap- tap- tap- at 2 AM. He reached in my horse trailer and ate dog food at Sherman Saddle Camp. One dog barked once- bark- and quit. Even the dogs respect Bigfoot. I have never seen him, but I have heard him, on different trips to the Bitterroot Mountains.

      Labor Day weekend we rode the old Lolo Trail with the Nez Perce, Indian decendenets of the 1877 War. Wow.  It was awesome. Its been a dream of mine to get the Nez Perce youth back on their old trail; an anchent trail as old as time. This is our second ride of about 20 riders and 40 campers on the old Nez Perce Trail; 2006 was our first Nez Perce Appaloosa Horse Club trail ride here. We visited old Nez Perce sacred sites, prayed for peace and healing of wounded hearts, and found unity among mankind from different races and heritage, and background. It is always awesome to ride with the Nez Perce people. 

        General Sherman said of this trail, “Its the worst trail in America, for any man or beast. ” Harpers Weekly called it the  “Dead Mule Trail” as General Howard left cannons, bacon ,and mules behind as he stumbled and fell along the Lolo Divide in the vast Bitterroot Mountains of central Idaho and Montana. The Nez Perce people seeking freedom and peace began their great march to northern Montana, where some made it to Canada. Some were taken captive to Okalahoma, and a few made it back to the homeland in Idaho. The land taken from Chief Joseph’s people in Oregon is still held by the whites. The 1877 War is studied in the history books and war tactics manual at the US. military acadamy in Colorado Springs. The Chief Joseph Appaloosa Ride follows the corridor of the old war trail traveling from Joseph Oregon to Bear Paw Mountans, in a 13 year cycle, covering about 100 miles a year the third week of July each year.

      The Landmark Lolo Trail is part of the Nez Perce National Historic Trail from Lolo Montana to Kamiah, and Orofino Idaho. This 150 mile segment of the Nez Perce National Historic Trail is on the old Nez Perce Reservation, the first reservation before their land was reduced. The current treaty rights allow the Nez Perce people to hunt fish, travel and camp on their old hunting grounds. We traveled the old trail used in the 1877 war that few will ever see. Its an awesome place, and not for the faint of heart.  

The first rule for ride in the dark is do not use a light.

     Johnny was comming down Bear Creek after dark with a mule string and a hunter. The hunter kept flashing his small light, then shutting it off. Johnny told him to stop that- but the hunter was afraid of the darkness. He flashed his light once again.The mule boogered off the trail and into a bog. Johnny had a mess to fix. Johnny was lucky. Where we ride- off the trail could mean death. Death in rocks, death off a cliff or down a mountain. Every outfitter has their wreck stories. I have mine. Wreck stories make good tales if you survive to tell them. In Durango one year we had 3 dead horses. One died from a picket line wreck. One died in the rocks when it stepped off the trail.  The third horse that died was mine that I loaned to a friend. From then on, if I loan a horse, then I useally go with it.

      Gene Basset rode at night. He is the one who taught me to ride at night. He was on an unbroke colt who kept stepping off the trail. It was so dark of night that he could not  see his hand in front of his face. Gene is an old Colorado cowboy and quite the horseman. He  starts all his own colts in his string. He taught me to do this, for the best mountain horse is the one you make, and they do hold your life in their hands, or hooves or hearts, and/or minds. His colt kept stepping off the trail. One of the first things a mountain horse must learn is to stay on the trail- let the trail guide you on a loose rein, on auto piolet. They have to travel on a loose rein on auto piolet (no guide) if you are going to ride at night; for some nights you can’t see the trail, but they can.  

       So they stepped off a cliff; Gene and his colt. Gene did not know how far it was to the bottom. There he sat, on his horse, in the air. I did this once too, it was a wreck of course, that turned out; like Gene’s wreck that night. They landed and he tied up, got under a big blue spruce for shelter, and waited for light to brighten his day. Rule number two, dont ride at night on a horse that will not stay on the trail.

Rule number 3. Dont ride a night blind Appaloosa. 

      I started some colts for a ranch family in Mancos. Not all people who own land and cows and a cowboy hat in the west are horseman. These people were greenies. How one can be raised in a ranch family in the west and not know how to tie a knot is beyond me. It takes all kinds for the world to go round. We went on a pack trip, 2 guys and me. I was riding colts for them, and they wanted to go have some fun. We went to the nearest roadless area. Roadless National Forest land in the 1970’s and 1980’s ment not  maintained. No people. Trails were logged in (full of downed timber) sluffed off, missing in places, and often hard to find. Challenge trails they was.  I have been lost on challenge trails many times.  So off we went, two greenies and me, on 30 day or less colts; and a night blind appaloosa. When I was young, I did a few dum things. It was the best we could do , at the time.  

      We rode all day, found the ghost of a trail, camped for the night, our gear on a packhorse or two. The next day they wanted to ride a different trail back, on  a circle. You never do this with ghost trails, non- maintanied Forest trails abandoned since the 1930’s; becuse you dont know what you’ll find. But I tried to please my clients. I was riding colts for them. That’s how I found us riding in the dark. Thats why we rode trails I would never ride- I would go back. There was rain and a rock slide, but we continued on. There was that wet place, if we step will the trail fall out from under us? We went on.  They had jobs to retrun to the next day, we had a scedule to keep. 

      If we missed the trail to the left in the creek drainage, we was done for- we would come out miles from our trailhead where the vehicles waited. It was dark- I could not see at all- my hand in front of my face? What hand? We were at the trail fork- I knew it. I reached out with my hand and felt the old Forest Service sign. Somehow we found the creek ford. The guy on the appaloosa complained his horse kept goiog off the trail. I got to ride problem horse. Every time he stepped off the trail, I clubbed him with my spur. I had no clue he was night blind. I did not know some appaloosas had that problem– at the time. I demanded alot from my horses in those days. If God be for us, then who can stand against us? I made it to the trailhead, with my Colorado cow folk, and I.

      It was 11 pm. My truck had a flat tire. I turned the horses loose at the trailhed, and they took me home, in their car. Next day my horses were where I left them, for mountain horses stay in camp, and camp is where you stop and graze. I did not get back to them tell late in the day , though.              

     Once upon a time I went for a spring ride with my friend; on reservation land. Indians own miles of wild places in the west. We came to deep snow on the ridge, so rode the slope with no snow below the ridge, on no trail. I stopped my small 1/2 Arab to rest or breath. There is a rule in horsemanship every horseman knows from East to West. Do not invade the personal space of your neighbors horse; espically horses that do not know  one another. Kick and bite and squeal and who knows what can happen.  I never had to teach this to any cowboys I rode with.   

      Sharon is a passenger, not paying attention. Her large big boned horse Glory comes up passed my little horses butt, on the high side. Glory stops. Glory rubs her head on Smokey’s butt, sending him sideways down the mountain.  She knocked us off the hill. Sharon was clueless about what she had done. She just sent us to hell.  Sharon was riding in the dark- but did not know what she had done. She broke that horsemanship rule I thought all horsemen knew. I know how to breath, so should you; we should not have to teach each other basics we all should know. Never ever enter the space of a horse you don’t know; stop the wreck before it happens by preventing the wreck because you think when you ride. My horse could of kicked the crap out of Sharon, and we were on dangerous steep ground. Instead it was me, who was going to die. 

      Smokey staggers sideways down the steep mountain trying to catch his balance. He almost does. Then we go off that rock cliff. Here I am in space, sitting on my horse. Sharon said you could of put a man standing under us, we were 6 feet or more from the ground. It all happened in slow motion, for my brain is telling me we will land, Smokey will fall, he will roll over and over again down this hell of a mountain untill he quits rolling.  And I am in the saddle and I too, will be involved in the roll. Broken ribs and maybe death will be what happends next- I could see it all.

       Smokey lands on the ground and he does not even gather his feet. He lands and stands like we never left the earth. Not possible? I think an angel caught us. It was not my time to die. Lesson learned? Be careful who you ride with in the mountains. Some people ride in the dark.           

      Travler is smart. I learned this when he was 3. We were crossing Bear Creek in the spring and the water washed him down stream. I tried to return to the ford. He could not walk upstream on the slippery rock. He told me this by balking. I tried a second  time, for we humans are bull headed know it alls at times. Again he refused. I gave him his head to get us out of the creek his way and he headed for a bank I thought he could not climb. One step and he was out of the creek. Wow. Travler you have long legs.

      Travler is smart. I learned this in Hungry Creek. Justa Dunn and I in the lead and we wove around the downed lodgepole across our trail. Travler following second found a better way. This shows a thinking horse, not a robot following on automatic. All the other horses behnd him followed his way - the best way. Oh- Travler is smart.

      Travler is reliable. After his first 30 days at Johnnys I was told to keep this horse because he was a good mountain horse. Surefooted enough to go where Johnny did not ride a normal horse, and safe enough for Grandma.  Anybody could ride this horse. He is old reliable. Johnny found my Morgans are surefooted and have great endurance too.

     Travler is ugly. His head is to big, his body too narrow- big boned, skinny ,tall, just like the horses in the pictures in 1905, with a cowboy on them. Travler is an old piece of history. He is our best horse to use with someone who has never - ever ridden, but wants to go to the mountains with us.  Sometimes ugly is beautiful, it depends on what you are looking for. He comes from an outfitters Morgan string, a 3 generation outfitter. He looks just like his dad, the old Morgan stud. I wondered why they had that long backed Morgan stud horse, with an un-morgan look. Now I know. I have not one but 3 of Morgan studs last colts. Every one is old reliable. Sometimes ugly has value. What is your goal? What is ugly anyway? Travler flunks the horse beauty contest everytime. I did not buy him for halter class though. We have a job to do, me and Travler. Go to the lost secret place where no  one rides and come home safe. Sometimes I ride with people on beautiful horses who kick, and buck or can’t keep up with me and Travler. He is a jewel, my jewel;  a one in a thousand that I could never replace.   

      Travler came home from school and said , “Dugh. I must be pretty dum.”  What happened to you? Where is the light in your eye? At cowboy school they make the horse go in the water and over the  log by force; kick and spur tell you win. I get my horse in the water and over the log with out a fight. I learned that from my Arab mare Cally. Spank an Arab and they just come more undone in the head. An Arab trainer told me Arab’s are smart. He said you must become smart too, to train an Arab. Cally would not  cross this little tiny ditch. We circled round and headed for home. She crossed. That was not a big problem to solve; how can I make my horse want to cross the ditch? Ray Hunt calls it making your idea, his (the horses) idea.  

      I was kind to Travler and he lost his dugh I’m dum automatic robot brain. I freed his feet and his mind with kindness. And when unsure like in Bear Creek, I let him decide.

       Justa Dunn, my go forward at a fast walk Arab- QH mare put her head down. Took one slow step. What the heck? I just sat there- mystified. We did this again and over again and again. It took forever to travel the four or five steps across that draw. I came back on another horse that day, riding this circle. She was belly deep in a biog. Again and again, until I thought we ‘d drown in mud. So that’s what Justa Dunn was up to. My horses are free to use their brain when I ride. They know where the quicksand is- they can find the best crossing, not I

       My friend went to a class with one of those clinic guys who charges too much money. She learned go forward with less. No kick or spur. They can feel a fly after all. Well how the heck do you ride then, I wondered? I went home and quit thumping on my horse so much. I did not think I thumped really at the time. I thought I was normal or being kind. I don’t thump anymore, because after all my horse can feel a fly. My horses became more responsive. My horse got smarter too.

I have not spanked a horse across a creek in a very- very long time.   

A picture of Travler is in my photobucket album in my first post.  

     under construction .             

Early May in Central Idaho and we have had a long winter. Snow is melting slower than normal, and good riding  days have been hard to come by.  I have worked a little bit wtih a few horses on basics. I took my top mare on a trail ride and she did pretty good; we were galloping home- then full run - then slow to lope- then stop. I remember at a reining  clinic they suggested we practice the gallop on trails. Just get out and run your horse- I have not done that much because mostly I walk on trails. It was fun- gave the dogs a workout too.  Happy trails to you. -