Ablendofthe past‌ and the present.
O n a fair morning the mountain invited you to get down and roll in its new grass and flowers. Every living thing sang, chirped and burgeoned. Massive pines and firs, storm-tossed these many months, soaked up in the sun in towering dignity. Tasseleared squirrels, poker-faced but exuding emotion with voice and tail, told you insistently what you already knew full well: that never had there been so rare a day, or so rich a solitude to spend it on.
June
Aldo Leopold, Sand County Almanac
awakens the Colorado high country: spring light reveals a newness of color and sound unmatched in any other season. Here, the Southern Ute Indians of centuries past summered. They understood this paradise, its power and serenity. Come, explore with us the wonders of the San Juan Mountains; rekindle a time when family and place were all that really mattered.
Southern Ute gathering, Pine River, circa 1880’s.
W ith nostrils flared in excitement And muscles glimmering in the sun, He has carried his cargo– Whether it be for fighting or for fun. Never has an animal ventured Through history with such force. Never has there been an animal Like the noble horse. John N. Campbell, The Horse
Horse dreams?
Allow your imagination to become a realization. Experiencing the mountains from the back of your horse is a unique sensation – centered, muscular, invigorating, relaxing, and fun. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced rider, we invite you to expand your riding abilities, as well as learn to communicate with and understand your horse.
Pine River stage stop, circa 1890’s.
I f there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.
Loren Eiseley, The Immense Journey
Water
has shaped these mountains and valleys – snow, rain, and rivers have etched a history on the land. Humanity, too, has evolved with water – from sustenance to recreation. Vallecito Lake, Rio de Las Animas de la Perdidas, the San Juan River, and Rio de Los Piños. Raft, ski, plunge, cast, immerse, listen … and the magic of water can turn us all into laughing children again.
ALSO PICTURED: The historic Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and the Anasazi dwellings of Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde National Park.
“The Swimming Hole” by Tim Cox
The ranch is an endless natural
playground, a constant adventure. My memories are filled with a mixture of fantastical imaginings of the hobbits and snipes that dwelled just beyond my field of view, of the smell of horses, of mud wars, of swimming holes created from hand-built dams, of the children who joined me every week. When you don’t have a Nintendo or T V, you are left to the limitless possibilities of your own imagination. Erika Roberts
Southern Ute families, circa 1880’s.
C
owboy hats have been worn by kings and ranch hands, by celebrities, political figures, and businessmen alike. But one thing is certain–whoever you are, when that hat goes on your head, something unique happens. For a brief moment, you become part of a grand adventure; you’re transported into another time and space, when the West wasn’t just a place, but an adventure, a state of mind. William Reynolds & Ritch Rand, The Cowboy Hat Book
Recall
the simple pleasures that liken us to the Native Americans, the explorers, and the ranchers. Slow down and sit around our campfire. Dance. Sing. Stare at the stars. Spend a week away from alarm clocks and the ten o’clock news. Awaken instead to the distant song of a coyote and sleep to the sound of silence.
Chuckwagon on the ranch homestead, circa 1900’s.
I
f one is to understand and appreciate the wilderness, one should stroll along, pause, sit down for a while and just absorb what there is to see, to hear, to smell. The world of the high country is one of rare beauty, so lovely, lonely, and wonderful a place. Be kind to it. Louis L’Amour, Frontier
The Roberts family
and our staff are committed to providing an extraordinary vacation for our guests. Wilderness is an integral part of that commitment. We invite you to share our passion … a legacy of western living. Since 1970, The Roberts family
WILDERNESS TRAILS RANCH blend of the past… and the present.
A
Local cowboys, circa 1890’s.
Established 1948
Bordering the Piedra Wilderness Area in the San Juan National Forest (35 miles northeast of Durango, Colorado) 23486 County Road 501 Bayfield, Colorado 81122 (summer) 1766 County Road 302 Durango, Colorado 81301 (winter)
An American Plan Guest Ranch offering week long stays. www.wildernesstrails.com info@wildernesstrails.com 1-800-527-2624 or 970-247-0722 FAX: 970-247-1006
E-MAIL:
PHOTO CREDITS: Mike Hallacy, Christopher Marona, Mary C. Woolverton, Robert L. Venuti, Gunnar Conrad, Gary Budke, Ed McKinney ARTISTS: Tim Cox (The Watering Hole), Lee Kromschroeder and Wild Wings, Inc. (Eagle) HISTORIC PHOTOS: Ft. Lewis College Center for Southwest Studies and Animas Museum DIGITAL PREPRESS: Paula Seay ©Wilderness Trails Ranch, 1997 Printed on Recycled Paper
Pine River Post Office, circa 1890’s.