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We had only trekked a short distance across the valley floor when we encountered a large herd of cattle near a large water trough. A few goats drank but most didn't. We also encountered a fence cutting off our path. Slim Buttes is sectioned into three or four cattle grazing areas and hikers have to pass through gates. I didn't see a gate but in hindsight I believe there was one (Phil said he saw it). Our campsite was located diagonally to our right, but the fenceline went too far right. It would take us up and over the ridge again. I wasn't sure if this was a wise course to take, but it did mean getting back into the shade. So we turned along the fence and headed up.
This is a lousy photo, but it's one of the only ones I have of Dean and it tells a story. Shortly after we turned off toward the woods, Dean's goat Georgey began to show signs of distress. He was lagging and more than anything he was panting heavily with his tongue hanging out. He clearly needed a break. We found a shady spot and sat down for a good half hour to let Georgey rest. The break turned out to be good for everyone since we ended up having a pretty good climb afterwards.
We got back on the ridge and the view was stunning. We could see the formation next to our campsite, but the question now was how do we get to it? There was no obvious way down and the cliffs were very tall. We had to keep a close eye on our boys along the ridgetop. It was a very long drop on the other side, and Finn seemed to have his eye out for an opportunity to shove Scout off the edge. We also found a little window arch!
After several false paths, Phil finally found a steep but good trail off the bluffs. We were back down in the valley and the heat and long hike were starting to get to us. Connie began to have painful charlie horses in her legs. We had to stop and rest a few times. Luckily I had some extra water in my pack for Connie. The trailhead looked tantalizingly close but nonetheless felt very far away.
Almost back to camp and behind the goats you can see the bluffs which we climbed atop in our quest for a way back. It was beautiful up there, but in hindsight I think we'd have done better to look for a gate and cut across the valley even if it meant less shade.
We got back to camp and all of us collapsed for some much-needed R&R. Later that afternoon Phil played his fiddle and two different families came to see the Rendy and visit with us for a while. I got out all of our packsaddles for them to see and shared some BMP cards. One family had joined NAPgA earlier this year. The other family had not joined yet, but they had just gotten a couple of miniature goats for their kids and wanted to train them for light pack work. They brought their goats with them and took them for a little hike around camp that evening. A third family who was camping out for the weekend and doing some hunting in the area spent some time visiting with Dwite. Perhaps they will get into packgoats one day!
This is a lousy photo, but it's one of the only ones I have of Dean and it tells a story. Shortly after we turned off toward the woods, Dean's goat Georgey began to show signs of distress. He was lagging and more than anything he was panting heavily with his tongue hanging out. He clearly needed a break. We found a shady spot and sat down for a good half hour to let Georgey rest. The break turned out to be good for everyone since we ended up having a pretty good climb afterwards.
We got back on the ridge and the view was stunning. We could see the formation next to our campsite, but the question now was how do we get to it? There was no obvious way down and the cliffs were very tall. We had to keep a close eye on our boys along the ridgetop. It was a very long drop on the other side, and Finn seemed to have his eye out for an opportunity to shove Scout off the edge. We also found a little window arch!
After several false paths, Phil finally found a steep but good trail off the bluffs. We were back down in the valley and the heat and long hike were starting to get to us. Connie began to have painful charlie horses in her legs. We had to stop and rest a few times. Luckily I had some extra water in my pack for Connie. The trailhead looked tantalizingly close but nonetheless felt very far away.
Almost back to camp and behind the goats you can see the bluffs which we climbed atop in our quest for a way back. It was beautiful up there, but in hindsight I think we'd have done better to look for a gate and cut across the valley even if it meant less shade.
We got back to camp and all of us collapsed for some much-needed R&R. Later that afternoon Phil played his fiddle and two different families came to see the Rendy and visit with us for a while. I got out all of our packsaddles for them to see and shared some BMP cards. One family had joined NAPgA earlier this year. The other family had not joined yet, but they had just gotten a couple of miniature goats for their kids and wanted to train them for light pack work. They brought their goats with them and took them for a little hike around camp that evening. A third family who was camping out for the weekend and doing some hunting in the area spent some time visiting with Dwite. Perhaps they will get into packgoats one day!