The next day, Monday was as different a day as it could get from the warm, clear day before. This day brought wind and clouds. We got up early to check out the radar before deciding what to do.
After looking at the radar, we decided we had some time before the snow hit. But heading up Sykes or even Burnt Timber with the impending storm, would not be a wise thing to do. We decided to head up the Dryhead.
I knew that Nancy (PMWMC) had hiked the Dryhead area and found Bakken the day before. I texted Nancy to ask for directions. Nancy texted me back and let me know where to possibly find them. (Thank you Nancy!). It was where I thought, the Layout Creek area. I had never hiked this area and was looking forward to exploring there.
The day before we were in T-shirts and Jeans for part of the day. Today, we had jeans, insulated wind pants, jacket, scarves, hats and a wind breaker jacket on. And, we were not the least bit hot while hiking, (or cold!!).
There were plenty of tracks (and some tiny ones too!). I knew we were on the right trail. The beauty of this area was incredible, I am sure I said it out loud several times.
The wind was picking up and I could see the storm getting closer, but we knew, even if it snowed hard, we could find our way back to the truck. So we continued down the well worn path.
We continued hiking until we got to the part of the trail where it became only about 10 feet from the edge to the drop-off of the Bighorn Canyon. No protective rails were here! With the wind increasing in speed and the snow starting to come down, we decided it was not safe to go any further. We reluctantly turned around. Without finding horses.
By the time we were almost to the truck, the wind was gusting hard enough to make us weave in our tracks. I decided to take a short detour and go down to Layout Creek. It was more protected there and I wanted to see how much water was still in it.
We were glad to reach the warmth and protection of the truck. No horses were seen this day. I was grateful for those I had seen on this trip. There is always next time.
The next day, we would be leaving and I would be heading for The University of Montana/Western, in Dillon, Montana. I was scheduled to present a slide show and talk about the Pryor Horses to the students and faculty of the Equine Programs (Natural Horsemanship) and also some local horse folks. I was looking forward to it. I enjoy sharing my photos and knowledge with those that do not know about these horses.
Sandy
