Adventures of Pudge

A Return to Wyoming, Page 2

“Shouldn’t we stay put at least until the rain stops? If there’s as much water down the trail as here there might not be a

trail.” This from Penny.

“That makes sense too,” said Jack. “Perhaps one of us should go look for the horses and the other at the condition of

the trail. It’s probably better that we split up and search for the horses in different directions anyway. Anybody else?”

Chuck and Jack rode off a few minutes later, Jack heading up the canyon to search for the horses and Chuck down into

the canyon. It would be Chuck’s task to check the trail’s existence while at the same time keeping his eyes open for horses.

Jack returned two hours later leading Pete, the pack horse; Pete had a definite limp in his gait. “I think Pete will be okay

even if he is a little lame. He won’t be able to carry his usual load so we’ll put a saddle on him and have Jean ride him. That

way, he might forget he’s usually a pack horse and behave.”

Chuck returned in the middle of the afternoon. By this time the rain had abated and was only a light drizzle. “I didn’t see

any horses but I got a good look at the trail for about two miles. I’d say it’s passable as far as I went; we’ll have to stop

frequently and clear away fallen trees. What’s beyond that point is anybody’s guess. I suggest we stay here tonight and

break camp early tomorrow morning. If we do that we can probably reach our first night’s camp by this time tomorrow.”

“That sounds good to me,” said Jack. “Anybody have other suggestions? No! Okay, let’s put a more comfortable camp

together for tonight than we had last night.”

They awoke in the morning to a clear sky. The only indication a storm had passed was a strong wind blowing up the

canyon. When they saddled up both Pudge and Cliff were assigned to ride on the same horse. Pudge was given the saddle

and Cliff a blanket behind Pudge. Each of the adults rode singly with a large blanket roll containing salvaged camp gear

secured behind their saddle. A pair of saddle bags completed their gear. Jean brought up the rear on Pete.

As Chuck had said, the trail was passable, but barely. Perhaps what had saved it from complete destruction was the

number of downed trees that had fallen across it. In some instances they were able to pick their way around the debris, in

others they had no choice but to get out their camp saw and remove large trunks and branches.

Progress was slow but steady until they reached Chuck’s turnaround point from the day before. Then, things appeared

to look good for a long section of trail. Apparently the storm had missed this section of the canyon and, except for an

occasional washout, everything went smoothly for the next two miles.

Their good luck ran out abruptly. After making a sharp turn in an extremely narrow stretch of trail Jack, who was in the

lead, raised his hand to stop them. “This may be as far as we can go on this trail,” said Jack. “There’s been a landslide

ahead and the trail is completely gone. For what distance I can’t tell but I suggest everybody take a lunch break while Chuck

and I explore the situation.”

While the others had lunch the two men walked slowly across the landslide area, picking their way carefully past large

boulders and fallen trees. They returned in an hour with a discouraged look on their faces.

“We can all make it across walking, if we’re careful,” Jack remarked. “But there’s no way we can take the horse across.

There might be another route we can take the horses but right now I don’t know where it is. More exploring I guess.”

As the trail was too narrow at that point for the group to make themselves comfort-able it was agreed that, before doing

anything else, they would move back a few hundred yards to where there was a space they could utilize. It took careful

maneuvering to turn the hores around, one at a time, and lead them back to the wider space.

Pudge and Cliff were sent, on horseback, to look for a water supply in case they needed to stay the night there. The

closest water they could find was a small spring another quarter mile back on the trail. They filled each of the canteens they

had brought, returned to camp and poured the water into the cook pot then made a second trip.

In the meantime, the men sat down and picked each other’s brains for any knowledge they had of other trails where they

could use the horses. The only solution they could think of was an off-trail trek across a series of ridges that eventually would

lead them to a trailhead near Caleb, more than twenty miles from Jack’s ranch in Wirth.

“It will make for a lot of tough riding, especially for the women and kids,” said Chuck. “We could make it by ourselves but

it will take three to four days. With this entire group it would probably take most of a week. I, for one, don’t recommend it.”

“The alternative, if only two of us take the horses,” replied Jack, “is for the women and kids to hike out. It would take

them two to three days. They’d be short on rations unless they caught some fish, so they would need to take some fishing

tackle with them.”

“Give those boys a puddle to fish in and they’ll catch fish,” Chuck responded. “Anyhow, let’s talk it over with the others

and see what they think.”

When these alternatives were brought before the group they were met with a collective groan.

“Perhaps there’s another option,” said Penny. “I think one of the men, for safety’s sake, should stay with the larger group

and one of the women go with the horses. I’d like to suggest that Jack and I, as we are more familiar with the horses, be the

ones who take the horses back. Then, Chuck and Polly can be with the walking group. Polly’s in better shape for walking

than I am anyway.”

After further discussion Polly agreed that was the most sensible approach. Which-ever party reached their destination

first would make arrangements to search for the other group.

For the rest of the afternoon they discussed the details of each group’s trip. Chuck and Jack drew rough maps showing

the approximate trail each would follow. Chuck took the truck keys and gave his house keys to Jack. Primitive backpacks

were made from sections of the tent and from saddle bags Jack and Penny would not need.

The next morning everyone rose early in anticipation of a long, and perhaps a difficult day. Jack and Penny saddled the

horses they would ride and attached tethers to the other four horses. Each of the riderless horses carried an assortment of

camping and fishing gear, their loads covered with a section of canvas and secured in place with ropes tied with a diamond

hitch.

Chuck and Polly, with the three children and their makeshift packs, were ready to move before the horse party. Chuck

led the way followed in single file by Pudge, Jean and Cliff in that order; Polly brought up the rear. As they neared the slide

area Chuck described what the conditions were like and the care they would need to exercise in crossing. A short halt was

called before the crossing began and again Chuck emphasized the need for caution.

The crossing, although it took more than an hour, was without incident. From that point onward the trail was clear and

easy to follow all the way to where they had made their first night's camp. By then they were all trail weary and ready to stop

for the night.

The next morning, after an early start, the rest of the hike to where the trucks were parked was relatively easy, taking

about four hours. Nevertheless, the makeshift packs had been so uncomfortable all were chafed in various places. From

there the ride to Jack’s ranch, with each adult driving a truck, was accomplished by late afternoon. They were greeted by

Ralph, who had a questioning look on his face when he saw who was in the trucks. Polly explained about the tornado and

about the route his parents were taking with the horses.

“That’s a tough trek even in the best of conditions,” he lamented. “I did it two years ago with a couple of friends.”

Polly immediately got on the phone and tried calling her own number. When there was no answer she knew Jack and

Penny were still somewhere in the mountains. She then called the local sheriff and informed him of the situation. He

promised to get a posse together first thing in the morning.

Chuck then suggested that he and Ralph load two horses in the trailers and go looking for them. "And take extra food

and clothing with you,” suggested Polly.

While Pudge’s party completed their journey with little difficulty the same was not true for Jack and Penny. As soon as

they started out they encountered trouble. The route Jack and Chuck had worked out took them through an area that years

earlier had been exposed to high winds and had many fallen trees. Negotiating their way around these downed trees

caused them to constantly change direction so that they covered only half the distance they had hoped for that first day.

The first ridge crossing was made the following morning; this also was fraught with difficulties. The horses balked at the

steepness of the ascent making it necessary for Jack to lead and break trail and for Penny to follow with a switch in her hand

to keep the horses moving.

By the second evening they had crossed a second ridge and Jack estimated they were less than halfway to the

trailhead. As a result, when Chuck and Ralph arrived at the trail-head it was late evening and there was no sign of Jack and

Penny.

“No sense looking for them now,” said Chuck. “There’s no telling how far they are and we’d never find them at night.

We’ll ride out in the morning and see what we can see. When the sheriff’s posse arrives we’ll see how they want to handle

it.”

In the morning Jack and Penny reached what, distance-wise, would be the halfway point of their trek. The third ridge was

an easy one and was traversed in a little more than an hour. Between this ridge and the next they encountered a major

stream crossing. Finding a ford took them more than an hour, thus extending the time needed to make the crossing. After a

steep climb to the next ridge both they and the horses were bone tired. They made an early stop to give themselves a long

night to recover from their exertions.

That same morning Chuck and Ralph set out early, angling off in different directions to cover as much territory as

possible. They agreed beforehand to ride only until noon and then return to the trailhead. By that time, Chuck figured, the

posse should have arrived. When they returned to the trailhead the posse had arrived; it consisted of eight local ranchers, all

veteran horsemen, many of them neighbors and close friends of Jack and Penny. All were equipped with a blanket roll and

emergency rations in anticipation of an overnight stay on the trail. Each of them was chomping at the bit to go find their

friends. Chuck, as he and Jack had done earlier, drew a map which showed their proposed route.

“Of course, conditions may have caused them to make some changes in their route,” he explained to the sheriff. “But,

knowing Jack, he’ll stick to it as closely as he can.”

The posse divided itself into two groups, each to take a different trail from the trail- head. One of the trails headed in the

general direction from which Jack and Penny were expected; the other followed a trail that would reach a ridge several miles

north of the expected contact point. Chuck and Ralph were asked to stay at the trailhead in the event Jack and Penny

came in from an entirely different direction.

Each section of the posse rode for four hours without any sig of their quarry. By then it was time to stop and set up camp

for the night. Each group made a large campfire to advertize their presence in case Jack and Penny were close enough to

see it.

Again in the morning Jack and Penny were forced off the course they were trying to maintain, this time by a landslide that

blocked their path. They were able to go around its north flank but in doing so were diverted several miles further north than

planned. It was noontime before they reached the top of the ridge and a trail Jack had hoped to reach several hours earlier.

As a result, it was the northern section of the posse, led by Jack’s neighbor, Curt Makin, that finally made contact with them

late that afternoon.

Jack couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Curt ride up on one of the horses. “Curt, I can’t really believe it’s you,” he

exclaimed. “You’re not a mirage are you?”

“It’s me all right,” Curt replied as he tipped his hat to Penny. “What’d you have to go and get yourself lost for?”

“We weren’t lost, the horses were lost,” said Jack, reaching out to shake Curt’s hand. “And how could we be lost with

you around to come to our rescue? How many people have you rescued in the last ten yeas?”

“A few, I guess.”

As they were a short distance from a small lake they rode to the lake and set up camp for the night. One of the riders

was sent back to the trailhead to inform Chuck and Ralph that the missing party had been found.

A long day’s journey the next day got them back to the trailhead where the horses were all loaded into trailers. Two

hours later they dove into the Drews’ ranch in Wirth, tired but happy travelers.

Pudge spent a quiet two weeks shuttling back and forth between Wirth and Caleb before boarding a train to return home

to Massachusetts.