Wow, what an authentic, real life experience of journeying into the wilderness on horseback- or should I say muleback! Sally was a wonderful mule and as surefooted as they say! I felt so able to be present and witness the shifting light of the day and the rare and beautiful wildflowers (a favorite of mine) in the Gila Wilderness from the back of my steady steed. I slept so well after the long day rides and woke refreshed and ready to go again at dawn. As a person acustomed to boring backpacking food that I have to carry myself, I was delighted to have real milk in my coffee and butter on my toast. What a treat! I enjoyed how the plans of the trip evolved and changed based on he knowledge the crew had of the area and the weather- this was a living, changing real life journey, not some dude ranch style packaged and predictable experience designed for your typical traveler who wants a pre-determined concept of comfort and certainty that checks all the usual boxes. Those places exist and would probably be fun too, but this was a real adventure!

The horses were all so well cared for that some could even be released to wander around the camp area- this was astonishing to me and really spoke to the leader Jim’s connection and care of his animals. I learned so much from Jim, who must have grown tired of all my questions about how he managed and got to know such a large heard of individual personalities. I will certainly be back when I am able to explore more of the area! What a treat!