Things I appreciated on the ride...Stuff I TOOK ALONG!

I sort of took this for granted...but the tents were great. A bit of a pain to set up, but well worth it. Especially when all the wind and rain happened everyday. I was reading some of the other outfitting sites and they make you sleep under a tarp with 7 other people! That would have been sub optimal, as I get up to pee three times a nite, and I have been told that I snore.

I was super glad that Anchor D had raised camp cots, These also were a bit tricky to set up...but it keeps you off the ground. I was glad I brought my "Expidite" air mattress ( the latest and greatest in sleeping mattresses!) This thing is insulated to about an R 8 or so, and that over top of a closed cell foamy was super comfortable. I also brought along the little Pillow/inflator thinggy that proved very usesful.

I had a whole set of "Merino wool" underwear, including short and long sleeves. I found later that I wore the long sleeve over the short sleeve, cause it was quite cool approaching 0ºC at nite. I also had a Merino vest, but didn't use it...I used my Burke & Wills vest most of the time. (Available in Lethbridge at the Aussie store in the downtown mall). Merino stuff I got at Campers Village in Calgary. It was expensive but worth it. It is very light, doesn't smell, and dries quickly if you get too hot. I had Merino socks, too and found that my boots stretched so much that I had to add a pair of lite socks over top. I guess that is what I get for getting new boots!

Speaking of Boots, I was super glad that I bought the rubber overshoes to go with them. Some of the areas we were in were very muddy and wet, and the climb up to the Lake of the horns would have been futile without the rubber grip! I found out that nobody is making rubber boots for cowboy boots anymore, and I was lucky to get these. (Alberta Boots) The old pair of boots I had since I was a kid, and resoled were kinda getting old, and I thought I deserved a new pair. The rubbers I had for them didn't fit cause they were a different shape! I would advise anyone getting boots to try and get rubbers to fit them, cause walking around in a mucky corral is not good for them! Ok....NEW THOUGHT!....I just got back from Spruce Meadows...there I found a pair of Brit MUCK BOOTS from COWSMOPOLITAIN (http://www.rkde.com/cowsmopolitan/muckboot.htm )in Didsbury! (Yep that's how they spell it). These things are awesome...made of some kind of neoprene, like they make wet suits out of. Good for -25ºC. They have a heel so you can ride in them, and are totally waterproof. Wow that is the way to go! They don't come in 1/2 sizes so be prepared to wear a second pair of socks, or one of those Genius double boot socks.

I had my Burke & Wills Slicker from the Aussie Store. It comes with a hood, which was nice to have when it poured rain. It fit over my Aussie hat (which is crushable and comes back to shape immediately. It also didn't leak like the "Fire Fox" one from OUtback that I bought earlier in the week. I was at a rodeo, and just sitting there, and my pants were soaked through....what good is that! I took it back and they gave me my money back (Prairie Saddlery in Strathmore). Dewy had a black rain coat that he got from Ribtors (a very unique store in Calgary) and swears by it....but Ribtors doesn't exist anymore as we knew it. I wondered if the Kix & Bux one from Irvine Tack & Trailer would be good! But I quite liked my slicker. When it was buttoned up, it protected my legs, and saddle from brush as well as kept me dry. I had a pair of "North Face" rain pants that I bought from Campers village. I was glad to have them, as they too were extra protection, and allowed me to shorten my Burke & Wills slicker to the 3/4 position for trail hiking, and still stay dry. (You can't do that with a FirefoX!) The pockets on the slicker allowed me to button my camera in quite safely, cause I couldn't get at my belt case with the slicker on. some people wore chaps, but I think chaps for me would have been too bulky. Chinks if they are soft would perhaps be nice, but I already had a lot of crap on my legs, AND I never got hit once. (Mostly due to my expert horse!)

I had two pair of gloves, one pair I bought years ago, that were very tight fitting oiled leather, that I kept in my vest. They came in handy when the little girl lost her gloves, and was quite cold. My other gloves were oilskin, bought at the Aussie Shop. They were great!

I took my Merrill "running shoes" with me. I learned my lesson on the last trip when I only took my sealskin moccasins. I wanted to get out of those cowboy boots after a long days ride, and they were very comfortable to have as I wear them every day. They also came in handy the day we hiked up to Carnarvon Lake. I wouldn't have made it up there with my cowboy boots. Dewy said I could ride in them, but I really don't like riding with anything that doesn't have a good heel. they have a Vibram type sole, so are not strictkly a running shoe, more of a hiking shoe. I think I'll try to find a pair with a little more water proofing.

I quickly found out that a straw cowboy hat is NOT the hat to have on the mountain trails, cause the wind up there, plus galloping, will blow it off, and it is a pain in the butt trying to stop your speeding horse, while all the others are running like hell, get off, try and get your ass back on your horse, while he is stressed out that he is not keeping up with the others. Trust me you don't want to do that! somehow Dewy's hat never came off...of course he had to relate some long story of why that was! (I think it was crazy glue!!!) It had to be!

I had a good down sleeping bag, and bought a fleece bag liner. The fleece liner is quite warm itself, and I found that I opened up the down bag, and just covered my feet, after I got warm. I don't know what the rating of the bag is...it is one I bought years ago, it was made in New Zealand...and is a great bag. It stuffs well into a very small sac so that I could put it into my North Face duffel bag. That duffle bag is pretty well water proof, and has places on the outside to attach things, and shoulder straps to carry it on your back like a pack if you have to. (I had to on one of my rides, as the vehicle that was supposed to get our stuff couldn't get down and up the hill cause of all the rain, so I had to pack it up myself). It was red so was easy to identify in the pile of duffles when they unloaded the wagon. I had various water proof sacs inside the bag.

Woops....getting close to Spruce Meadows time...I want to see the trail competition. Be back later.

I caught the trail class and the battle of the breeds...the mules won! How about that. And one of my Paramedic Colleagues sister was one of the competitors. Congratulations guys!!!! MULES RULE!

I took along a little first aid kit with such things as muscle relaxants (good for the guy who hurt his back!) also included was moleskin, for a little wear hole on the side of my ankle. Good old oil of Oregano...which will kill anything bacteria, viruses you name it! And of course a few Bandaids.

I managed to find a little solar power-windup radio/led light at "The Source". I was able to get the weather forcasts on FM. and the light was good in the tent. I also had my REALLY powerful Streamlite flashlite that I use at work. That thing can start fires it's so bright. I thought it could also blind a bear if he decided to get into my tent. Well anyway, it was good to find the biffy in the dark!

I was going to buy a new GPS to take on the trip. But took the one back that I bought...cause I figured my Zumo 550 that I use on my motorbike and car was good enough to use to locate various points and to pinpoint an emergency for a helicopter should the need arise. I was surprised that Anchor D did not have one! They did have a Sat phone, that seemed to work ok.. and I guess Dewy would be able to tell any pilot where to land out there anyway. ( Just me trying to take care of myself) I still think that a "Find me spot" would be useful. Go to findmespot.com. This requires a subscription to google, but if I was doing this sort of thing on a regular basis, I would have one.

I did carry my bear spray, bear honker (hooter or horn ), and bear bangers on a separate belt. I've read too many books and been around too many bears not to have my own protection! Although Dewy and Leonard both had 45/70 guns, and they both say you are crazy to go into this part of the country without a weapon. Our instruction was to "stay in the tent" if the dog went nuts and a bear came into camp. I would have had a problem with that....but I could see that he didn't want a bunch of idiots getting in the way of a shot should the need arise! I also packed a knife....and so did all the guides! I guess some defense is better than no defense. Besides it could come in handy for other things. Just read Gary Shelton's books!

I appreciated the team of wranglers. They were very hard working, and had our horses fed, groomed and saddled & watered by breakfast time. Wow those guys were awesome! Some outfitters make you do everything for your horse (not that I would have minded, just seemed to be that "bit" extra that separates the outfitters! (Also I think it had something to do with insurance!)

One thing....at the last camp they hobbled the horses and let them graze. Funny thing it kind of masked the dinner bell! Crap I hate it when that happens! Boy could those horses go with the hobbles on! kept the lawn mowed around camp though!

A lot of the riders brought some booze along, like cider or beer. I was kinda jealous at times, and sure could have used one after a ride. But I didn't want to add to the weight of stuff being carried. But next time......I think I'll take a little something along. I don't think it would have been a good idea to get pissed in the bush, but a beer or cider would have been refreshing. Some people were into wine...but I have never been a whiner! (Boo!)

I had a little thermometer on my zipper, but I think it was pretty well wrong! It said it was minus one at times and on further checking I think it was BS. I was going to take it back but found out that all of them read something different!!!!
(Well it had a little compass on it too!!!)

I had a couple of fire starters with me. Lighters, and a magnesium thinggy that I could have used with my knife to start a fire in a pinch. It is tricky to start a fire in the rain! The crew had wood that was pre-cut and covered! the kitchen used a wood stove and a propane one. but they mostly used wood. They did have a Chainsaw, but had axes and a maul axe that were very sharp. From Lee Valley Tools no less!

The saddles all had saddlebags of sorts. Most of them were suboptimal! Most of them left open ends when you closed them, subjecting things to falling out. So don't expect to keep anything important in them. They were good for water bottles and lunches and that was about it. OH....be sure and tie your slicker on properly or it will come off at a gallop! The best way is to button it...hold it vertical and roll it inwards, then fold it over a couple of times and tie it tightly on the back of the saddle with the ties. I had a couple of nylon hold downs that i used at first, but I found that I took it on and off so often that it was a pain in the butt! You do NOT want it to come off at a gallop!!!!! NOT a good thing!!! Oh and DO NOT get caught trying to put your coat on while waking along the trail. Dewy will chastise you severely, saying that is where accidents happen!