After a very mild December and January, we are finally getting dumped on with snow and bitter cold temps. Living here at Apgar View we are used to a little harsher conditions, but we did get spoiled with the nice weather this winter. The horses are acclimated to life on the mtn and seldom wear blankets, but with the snowy/cold weather I felt they needed some pampering and so they got blanketed today.

As I was freezing my fingers off putting on blankets, I couldn’t help but recollect those contemptuous looks I receive from some of the kool-aid drinking hikers I encounter on the trail. When your passion is exploring the backcountry by horseback it is inevitable that over time you’ll run into the hiker that is quite indignant of your presence with stock. Most common comment I hear is that we’re doing it the easy way. They seem agitated and assume that as a stock user you must be a lazy SOB that can’t throw on a backpack and venture out on your own two feet. If they only knew! Owning stock suitable for backcountry trail riding requires an immense amount of time and work. Each and every day a stock owner is spending hours feeding and caring for their animals. While the latte drinking, Subaru driving yuppie is relaxed on the couch searching their iPad for next summers hiking trip, the stock owner is out preforming his everyday chores.

Using stock in the backcountry has privileges that some of the hiking public envy. We get to indulge in adult beverages, and usually have some exceptional meals because of the ability to pack. I’ve taken trips where we had to pack light and utilized the freeze dried meals. 😝 It’s food, but I can’t say it’s tasty. Maybe that’s why some of those backcountry hikers seem so irritable. 🤷🏻‍♂️

The reality is these backcountry users should be thankful for the horse riders they encounter. These are the people that carry tools for clearing trails along the way. While the forest service, backcountry horseman, and many volunteers do the majority of trail maintenance, those recreational riders are often cutting areas of downfall that has recently happened. (I have yet to meet a hiker with a large saw strapped on their pack)

I really shouldn’t be ragging on the backcountry hiker. The majority of those I meet on the trail are very nice folks. One night I arrived at a campsite just before dark and ended up sharing the area with a couple of guys who were out hiking a segment of the CDT. The following morning found me eating pancakes and bacon cooked on an open fire, while they were enjoying their mountain house prepped on a jet-boil. After visiting for awhile I learned they were going to be out for a week and one had forgotten his tent. They were concerned because the forecast was favorable for numerous rain events that week. I was heading back to the trailhead so I gave him my old tent to use. It was an old 2-person backpack type tent that had seen more than its share of use, so I told him not to worry about getting it back to me. He took down my address and a few weeks later his buddy was in the Columbia Falls area and dropped it off. They were very appreciative and I was glad to have helped them out on their trip.

Some of those young man-bun wearing contemptuous individuals that are out on the trail can be annoying though. I’ve even read articles about them stepping off the trail and hiding when encountering stock users. You can imagine the fiasco that happens when your horse senses something hiding in the bushes as you ride by. There’s not much you can do with these type of hikers, (you’ll get in trouble if you shoot them) so it’s best to just go about your business and bid them a good day. There will always be more trails to explore and more fish to catch!